Yes, I followed that. I can still say that this is not the case in California. If there are lice outbreaks, then administrators can decide to shear everyone, citing health reasons. I think there are limits on how long hair can be, though (throughout their stay unless they are in a special setting, like a psychiatric unit).
CO definitely makes men shave their beards but I can't find any clear indication of whether they also require all male prisoners to have their heads shaved.
//Arkansas prisons do not require “shaved heads or short crew cuts,” Justice Alito wrote, and so “it is hard to see why an inmate would seek to hide contraband in a half-inch beard rather than in the longer hair on his head.”//
From:
The justices unanimously rejected arguments by Arkansas prison officials that said allowing beards would make it easier for inmates to hide contraband.
www.nytimes.com
I'm still trying to dig up anything specific for CO. But if you say their DOC was still doing it in 2018, I'm going to rely on that information until I can find anything more recent. In VA, prisoners may refuse the haircut (but then get sent into a higher security facility, so not exactly a win).
//
Though no federal law mandates the practice, state prisons make their own rules. In fact, the Federal Bureau of Prisons does not require head shaving for incarcerated people, and they can choose how they want to wear their hair and even have it long as long as they keep it clean and hygienic.
Read More:
Why Some Inmates Have To Shave Their Heads Before Entering Prison - Grunge
//
New York has ruled it unconstitutional as well:
Some people who are sentenced to prison have to shave their heads as part of the intake procedures, including the recently convicted Alex Murdoch. Here's why.
www.grunge.com
Definitely a state-by-state and even prison-by-prison method. I have to say I wish they would use it equally between the sexes.
IMO