A Prisoner Voice

To whom it may concern,

   My name is _____ and I'm currently an inmate in _____, New York. I am a Muslim and it is imperative that I attend Jumah (Friday) services. It is a sin to miss services. The Imam has tried unsuccessfully to get the administrators to allow me to attend Jumah services. In my 18 months of incarceration, I have only been allowed to attend 3 special services. 

    I am not a sentenced inmate, however I have been awaiting trial for over 18 months. I am in the process of filing a civil suit against ___County for violating my constitutional rights. For the past 18 months the facility has denied my right to worship within a congregational setting. This is in direct violation of New York state's minimum standards for country inmates. They are in violation of parts  7024, policy numbers 7024.1A, 7024.1B, 7024.2, 7024.2B, 7024.5 and 7024.9
    
    It could be argued that because of the severity of my charge, or teh fact that I'm in administrative segregation that I would be, or could be at risk to the facility, however, my co-defendant, who has the exact same charges as I do, has been given and utilizes all of the "freedoms" that the jail has to offer. 

    A second argument could be one of a discipline issue or reasons of punitive sanctions, however,  I have never had one single violation of the jails code if conduct where as my co-defendant has had several incidences of violence including fights and inciting a small riot. He is still given full access to the facility's program including religious services, where as I am not, even though my conduct has posed the security threat that his has. For these reasons I have filed a notice of claim to the county attorney in preparation for a law suit.