Section 12-44.1-14 - Inmate rights1. Subject to reasonable safety, security, discipline, and correctional facility administration requirements, the administrator of each correctional facility shall:a. Ensure inmates have confidential access to attorneys and their authorized representatives.b. Ensure that inmates are not subjected to discrimination based on race, national origin, color, creed, sex, economic status, or political belief.c. Ensure equal access by male and female inmates to programs and services available through the correctional facility.d. Ensure access to mail, telephone use, and visitors.e. Ensure that inmates are properly fed, clothed, and housed.f. Ensure that inmates have adequate medical care. Adequate medical care means necessary treatment for a medical or health condition for which serious pain or hardship would occur if care is not given. A correctional facility may not deny adequate medical care to an inmate who does not have health insurance or does not have the ability to pay the costs of the medical or health care.g. Ensure that inmates may reasonably exercise their religious beliefs.2. Correctional facility staff or an administrator of a correctional facility may not: a. Substantially burden the exercise of religion by an offender in the custody of the correctional facility unless the burden is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest;b. Treat religious conduct more restrictively than any comparable secular conduct unless the correctional facility demonstrates the disparate treatment is necessary to further a compelling penological interest and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling penological interest; or c. Deny clergy access to an offender in the custody of the correctional facility for the purpose of providing religious services unless the correctional facility demonstrates the denial is necessary to further a compelling penological interest and is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling penological interest.3. An offender in the custody of a correctional facility claiming to be aggrieved by a violation of subsection 2 may assert, after exhausting appropriate administrative remedies, that violation as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding and, if the offender is the prevailing party, may obtain appropriate relief, including costs and reasonable attorney's fees.Amended by S.L. 2021, ch. 92 (HB 1410),§ 1, eff. 8/1/2021.Amended by S.L. 2011, ch. 91 (SB 2024),§ 4, eff. 7/1/2011.