As part of his punishment for refusing to cut his hair, California Department of Corrections prisoner Billy Paul Warsoldier has been told not to contact the media.

That didn't stop Warsoldier, who is Cahuilla and Apache, from talking about his plight with New York Times reporter Charlie LeDuff, who is Indian. He told the paper that he grooms his hair with a standard prison issue comb and that the prison shampoo is drying out his hair.

The state bans long hair, dyed hair and most hairpieces. Long hair can be used to hide weapons, the state says.

Warsoldier filed lawsuit in federal court over his treatment. He says it would be an insult to his culture to cut his hair.

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Equating Long Hair and Freedom, Prisoner Makes a Stand (The New York Times 4/8)
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$ rs Native prisoner claims punishment for long hair (4/1)