Correctional Forum

We're Back!

The Prison Society has been on summer vacation, or at least our blog has. But today's the first day of the rest of our lives, or whatever it is people say when they lack the inventiveness to say anything else.

One of the big corrections stories that has continued to garner coverage while we were away is banning certain religious materials from prison libraries and chapels -- a move that doesn't sit well with many prisoners, religious or otherwise.

"Prisons Purging Books on Faith From Libraries" is a thorough examination of the issue in today's New York Times. Definitely recommended reading to start your day. It's also especially appropriate given that this week marks the beginning of two of the holiest periods for Islam (Ramadan, beginning Sept. 13) and Judaism (Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur, beginning Sept. 13).

[Image from cbc.ca]

God in prison challenged

Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union settled a suit over the separation of church and state. There’s generally a lot of friction when the ACLU and the church butt heads, but for once the outcome was pretty pleasant. From the AP:

The settlement filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Scranton ended the lawsuit filed over programs run by The Firm Foundation at the Bradford County jail. Lawyers for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania were among those representing six local citizens who filed suit in February 2005. They claimed the company's employees proselytized inmates in a former work-release program and pressured them to pray.

The Firm Foundation program was the only vocational training program available at the jail, and the company's arrangement with the county was unconstitutional, said Alex Luchenitser, a lawyer for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Interestingly enough, support was strong on both sides of the isle for the removal of the program, with the church quickly conceding the case.

"I applaud officials in Pennsylvania for taking this step," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "This program was a misguided attempt to advance a faith-based agenda at the taxpayers' expense.

In the end, both sides claimed victory on the ruling. No checks for millions of dollars in punitive damages changed hands, and the system worked pretty much as intended. It’d be nice to think that the two groups would take this case as a basis for future disputes.

Pa. county, civil libertarians settle suit over faith-based jail program