ACLU sues Rhode Island prison over Native religious practices

Five Native American men held in maximum security at Rhode Island’s Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston have filed a federal lawsuit alleging prison officials denied their ability to practice their religion, according to Rhode Island Current. The 38-page complaint was filed Feb. 11 in the U.S. District Court in Providence on behalf of Jaquontee Reels, Anthony Moore, Louis Seignious, Craig Robinson and Wallace Cable. The plaintiffs, represented by the ACLU of Rhode Island and the Roger Williams University School of Law Prisoners’ Rights Litigation Clinic, are seeking permission to hold pipe ceremonies, sweat lodge ceremonies, smudging ceremonies, drum circles and powwows.

“Again and again, Plaintiffs have asked RIDOC officials for permission to obtain Native American religious items, engage in Native American ceremonies, and obtain guidance from a Native American elder, but Defendants have turned away all of those requests,” the complaint states. The complaint also states that the Department of Corrections has not adopted policies required under a 2025 settlement addressing religious accommodations.