EDITORIAL – Inmate reform unconstitutional

Want to improve your accommodations during your stay in prison? No, Expedia.com can’t help… Want to improve your accommodations during your stay in prison? No, Expedia.com can’t help you book this upgrade. Until recently, God was the only one who could.

Inmates staying at Newton Correctional Facility in Iowa had the chance to increase their quality of life through a faith-based program run by InterChange Freedom Initiative. According to The Washington Post, this program was funded by $1.5 million of public money and was part of President Bush’s initiative to solve social problems through faith.

Inmates who participated in the program rooted in Evangelical Christianity were given incentives for making “sufficient spiritual progress.” Nicer cells with private toilets, increased access to the outside world and expedited fulfillment of prison requirements were rewards for inmates who prayed daily and attended services and revival meetings regularly.

Rehabilitation materials given to inmates included helpful lessons like, “Criminal behavior is a manifestation of an alienation between the self and God,” and “Acceptance of God and Biblical principles results in cure through the power of the Holy Spirit. Transformation happens through an instantaneous miracle; it then builds the prisoner up with familiarity of the Bible.”

But what about the people who held different beliefs than Evangelical Christianity? Well, they were encouraged to “compromise” in order to participate in this program.

A lower court in Iowa has already ruled that this program is unconstitutional because the state cannot force people to practice a religion, even if they are imprisoned. The Iowa program was deemed to be “pervasively sectarian” by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Pratt last year, according to the article. In the case, inmates testified that they felt “unwelcome” in the program because they practiced faiths other than Evangelical Christianity.

InterChange was ordered to repay monies to both the Iowa government and prisoners and cease operations in the facility. The ruling is pending the findings of an appeal by InterChange’s affiliate, Prison Fellowship Ministries, a privately funded organization that runs similar programs in six other states.

Did President Bush skip civics class the day the separation of church and state was discussed? No one should have to compromise his religious beliefs to acquire benefits. The Constitution mandates that the state cannot show preference to one religion or another, and yet InterChange encourages people to follow a specific religious path to reap its benefits. People will do anything in order to have better living conditions and increased opportunity to make contact with friends and family. Despite the “voluntary” nature of the program, the rewards associated with participation are too tempting for most, thus making it less of a choice and more of a necessity for a better life in prison.

What happened to rewarding prisoners for good behavior or rehabilitation through other outlets? It’s necessary for the upper court to uphold the ruling of the lower court in order to maintain the constitutional rights of inmates of all faiths.