Briefs in Prison Fellowship Case
PFM claims that they only use the tax dollars for the secular, non-sectarian aspects of the program. Yet their own promotional material bluntly declares that there are no such aspects. The AU brief cites several examples from PFM promotional and program materials. For instance:
InnerChange is a "24-hours-a-day Christ-centered, biblically based program that promotes personal transformation of prisoners through the power of the Gospel" (PA89); The major problem with the program is this: despite being a heavily sectarian program that denigrates all religions other than protestant evangelicalism (including program materials blasting the Catholic Church and claiming that the Pope will be the anti-Christ), participation in the program carries enormous incentives for inmates, including a far higher chance of early parole and special privileges while in prison that those who do not participate do not receive. For example, while the Department of Corrections offers secular classes that fulfill requirements for early release programs, they are limited in number and only available to an inmate immediately before being eligible for release. The PFM classes, on the other hand, are available from the first moment the inmate gets to prison and fulfill all the same requirements, often leading to earlier release.
The Parole Board and the Department of Corrections prescribe certain treatment classes for inmates, and completing the classes increases parole chances, while failing to do so greatly reduces them... And that's not all. By joining the InnerChange program, inmates not only get transferred to a much nicer prison that they cannot be moved to for any other reason, they also get special privileges within the prison:
Enrolling in InnerChange can be the easiest way -- and for some inmates the only way -- to be transferred to the Newton prison. Newton is a relatively safe facility, and is centrally located in Iowa near Des Moines, which makes it easier for many inmates' family members to visit. While inmates cannot be transferred to Newton just because they desire to be, enrolling in InnerChange takes them there. This is essentially bribery to get inmates to be indoctrinated into a specific, sectarian religion. And because those advantages are denied to those of different faiths, it amounts to punishment for those inmates whose religious (or non-religious) beliefs prevent them from taking part in the program. And believe it or not, it gets worse. InnerChange staffers actually have the authority to take disciplinary action on inmates. Indeed, FPM materials actually claim that they are running the prison:
InnerChange staff control the daily lives of program inmates -- indeed, PFM describes its Newton InnerChange operation as "one of the prisons Prison Fellowship actually runs as a Christian institution." The DOC considers InnerChange staff to be state agents, and has empowered them to write disciplinary reports against both InnerChange and non-InnerChange inmates for violations of prison rules, and also to control the discipline received by InnerChange inmates for certain infractions. The government is all but forcing inmates to take part in sectarian religious indoctrination or face longer sentences under worse conditions in prison, all paid for by our tax dollars. By what possible standard could this be constitutional?
Briefs in Prison Fellowship Case | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)
Briefs in Prison Fellowship Case | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)
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