Bribing Prisoners for Jesus

As a footnote to the last post regarding prisons, check out the article in the New York Times regarding American religious organizations benefiting from "an increasingly accommodating government."

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. The program — which grew from a project started in 1997 at a Texas prison with the support of George W. Bush, who was governor at the time — says on its Web site that it seeks “to ‘cure’ prisoners by identifying sin as the root of their problems” and showing inmates “how God can heal them permanently, if they turn from their sinful past.”

That's interesting. It didn't seem to help Karla Faye Tucker when the arrogant pseudo-Christian prick bastard denied her clemency. Once on death row I guess there's no turning back and no repenting allowed. But I digress.

For Robert W. Pratt, chief judge of the federal courts in the Southern District of Iowa, this all added up to an unconstitutional use of taxpayer money for religious indoctrination, as he ruled in June in a lawsuit challenging the arrangement.

The article goes on to state that since 2000, more than a dozen other programs have been cited for similar unconstitutional use of taxpayer money to promote religion. But that hasn't stopped the progress of the programs.

...the Corrections Corporation of America, the nation’s largest prison management company, with 65 facilities and 71,000 inmates under its control, is substantially expanding its religion-based curriculum and now has 22 institutions offering residential programs similar to the one in Iowa. And the federal Bureau of Prisons, which runs at least five multifaith programs at its facilities, is preparing to seek bids for a single-faith prison program as well.

And there is no significant penalty imposed on these groups -- usually they are barred from future financing and not required to repay monies used in the past for these unconstitutional activities.

Just a quick reminder:

Bill of Rights

Amendment I: Freedom of speech, religion, press, petition and assembly.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.