JAIL: Inmate being persecuted

I am currently detained pending trial in the Kootenai County Jail. I am housed in administrative segregation, where an Amish man in the cell next to mine, Earl Groff, is being persecuted because of his religion. He is regularly refused meals, is not allowed to mail letters, and is not allowed access to his attorney because his religion does not allow him to wear a uniform. On April 11th, I witnessed deputies refuse to provide him both lunch and dinner because he refused to don the jail uniform. On April 12th, he was informed that his attorney was there to see him. (He is represented by a Public Defender.) He again refused to wear a uniform, so he was not allowed to visit with the attorney. The Amish religion requires modesty, so he uses the sheet and blanket the jail provided him to keep himself clothed as best he can under the circumstances. He is here pending trial for a misdemeanor charge, but apparently the presumption of innocence means nothing here. When he attempts to mail letters seeking help, he is told he may not access the service cart, where letters are accepted for mailing, unless he wears a jail uniform.

Idaho affords much more stringent protection of religious freedom than most states, Many religious people move here because of those protections, but apparently Idaho’s protection of religious freedom becomes meaningless as soon as someone is accused (not convicted) of a misdemeanor in Kootenai County.

SCOTT ICKES

Coeur d’Alene