In prisons across America there is a way to get better ammenities and have more recreation options than the usual hour a day most get in the ‘yard.’ Sign up for a religious ‘rehabilitation’ program, which is 99% of the time run by evangelical Christians and for which there are no alternatives for prisoners of other faiths. Sound like an unconstitutional violation of the separation of church and state? You bet. Recently, Robert W. Pratt, chief judge of the federal courts in the Southern District of Iowa, ordered one such Christian ministry to return the $1.5million it had received from the government for its program. Of course, the legal issue doesn’t seem so clear to some, who see these programs as a way to combat recidivism etc.
The NYTimes has published a great article on the subject, Religion for a Captive Audience, Paid for by Taxes. Some excerpts:
The cells in Unit E had real wooden doors and doorknobs, with locks. More books and computers were available, and inmates were kept busy with classes, chores, music practice and discussions. There were occasional movies and events with live bands and real-world food, like pizza or sandwiches from Subway. Best of all, there were opportunities to see loved ones in an environment quieter and more intimate than the typical visiting rooms.
But the only way an inmate could qualify for this kinder mutation of prison life was to enter an intensely religious rehabilitation program and satisfy the evangelical Christians running it that he was making acceptable spiritual progress.
Related reading: Jails for Jesus – a great article on the topic from MotherJones magazine
No Tags