Vermont Statutes Title 28 Sec. 803
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 28 Sec. 803
- Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Corrections. See
- facility: means any building, enclosure, space, or structure of or supported by the Department and used for the confinement of persons committed to the custody of the Commissioner, or for any other matter related to such confinement. See
- Inmate: means any person, not a child, committed to the custody of the Commissioner pursuant to the law of the State and subsequently committed to a correctional facility and any person confined at a correctional facility during the pendency of a prosecution against him or her. See
- Supervising officer: means the highest administrative officer in charge of any correctional facility. See
§ 803. Exercise of religious beliefs
(a) An inmate at any correctional facility shall have the right of free exercise of his or her religious beliefs, and shall have the right to receive visitations from a clergyperson or other representative of his or her faith in case of illness, provided that a request for the visitation is submitted to the supervising officer of the facility. An inmate shall not be ordered or compelled to participate in any religious activities.
(b) Such exercise of religious beliefs as is permitted by subsection (a) of this section may be restricted only upon a determination by the Commissioner that the exercise would interfere unreasonably with the maintenance of discipline and security at the correctional facility.
(c) The supervising officer of any correctional facility shall have the authority to compensate any clergyperson selected by him or her to conduct visitations and carry out other services at the facility. (Added 1971, No. 199 (Adj. Sess.), § 20.)