New York state inmates are suing the state Department of Corrections over its decision to lock down prisons during next Monday’s total solar eclipse.
The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in upstate New York says the April 8 lockdown violated inmates’ constitutional right to practice their faith by preventing them from participating in religiously significant events. It is claimed that there is.
The plaintiffs are six men of various religious backgrounds who are incarcerated at Woodbourne Correctional Facility in Woodbourne.
They include a Baptist, a Muslim, a Seventh-day Adventist, two Santeria practitioners, and an atheist.
“A solar eclipse is a rare natural phenomenon that has great religious significance for many people,” the complaint states, adding that a passage in the Bible describes a phenomenon similar to the solar eclipse during Jesus’ crucifixion. However, it has been pointed out that Islamic scripture describes a similar event when the son of the Prophet Muhammad died. .
This celestial phenomenon was last observed in the United States in 2017 and will not be seen again in the United States until 2044, “requiring gathering, celebration, worship, and prayer,” the complaint says.
According to the complaint, one of the named plaintiffs, an atheist, received special permission last month to use state-issued glasses to view the eclipse, but that was before the nationwide lockdown was imposed. It was about.
Four of the other plaintiffs subsequently sought permission but were denied by authorities, who determined that the eclipse was not listed as a holy day for their religion, the complaint states. .
A sixth inmate said he did not receive a response.
Department of Corrections spokesman Thomas Maley said the department does not comment on pending litigation but considers all requests for religious accommodations.
He said that things related to observing solar eclipses are currently under consideration.
The department’s acting secretary, Daniel Martucello III, released a memo on March 11 announcing that all state correctional facilities will operate on a holiday schedule next Monday.
According to the complaint, this means inmates remain in their residences except for emergencies between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., when outdoor recreation is generally prohibited at the prison. It is said that it is the time when it will be held.
Next Monday, visitation will also be suspended at about 24 prisons that are fully infected, and visitation at other correctional facilities will end at 2 p.m.
Martusello said the department will distribute eclipse safety glasses to staff and inmates at prisons in the total path, allowing them to view the eclipse from their assigned work locations or residences.
The best areas to see the total solar eclipse are expected to be in the western and northern parts of the state, including Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Lake Placid and Plattsburgh.
The total solar eclipse is expected to be visible in affected areas of New York around 3:15 p.m., and will occur in just a few minutes as the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, temporarily blocking the sun and turning day into night. Changes to
