Jul 9th, 2009
Posted by Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 2:40pm	Prisoners' Rights, Religion & Belief

ACLU Seeks to End Bible Censorship at Virginia Jail

Imagine being in jail, and you receive a letter from your mother. It says: "Dear Son…" It goes on for a paragraph, and then the rest of it is a big, gaping hole, where prison censors have cut—with scissors—biblical passages that your mom thought you might find comforting during your incarceration. The big hole is followed by: "Love, Mom."

This actually happened to an inmate in Virginia's Rappahannock Regional Jail, where jail policy mandates that officials censor biblical passages from letters written to detainees. Today, the ACLU and ACLU of Virginia sent a letter to Rappahannock's superintendent, Joseph Higgs, Jr., asking him to end this policy, as it violates both detainees' and letter-writers' First Amendment rights.

Daniel Mach, Director of Litigation for the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, said in a statement today: "It is essential that jail officials abide by the law and the requirements of the U.S. Constitution. People do not lose their right to religious worship simply because they are incarcerated."

Permalink |	Prisoners' Rights, Religion & Belief

1. Ray Radlein Says:
   Jul 9th, 2009 at 2:13pm

   Wow. That's really inexplicable. This seems like the sort of thing that the Rutherford folks would also be all over.

2. An American Says:
   Jul 9th, 2009 at 11:35pm

   Anyone who commits a crime worthy of imprisonment has given up his rights. They dont deserve anything more than basic sustinance. Bring back public hangings and chain gangs. I would be the crime rate would drop dramatically after the first couple rapists and murderers got their necks stretched on a public gallows.

3. Patrick McLaughlin Says:
   Jul 10th, 2009 at 3:22pm

   "An American" is not only barbarous, but incorrect.

   The evidence strongly suggests that there is no drop (not dramatic, certainly) in major crimes after executions today, but wasn't in the past when such executions were public--nor is there in the relatively few nations that still permit such forms of punishment.

   Further, he's wrong about rights. A convict's rights are impaired -- lawfully -- during imprisonment. But they're not gone. A convict retains certain rights, because we recognize that depriving people of all their rights doesn't teach them a lesson, and it leaves them vulnerable to criminal abuse at the hands of others.

   Wrong, wrong, wrong... wrong again... and just ignorant of the actual facts.

4. John Strong Says:
   Jul 10th, 2009 at 7:46pm

   Um, this is simply a straightening-out of how constitutional rights work.

5. Leftie (both dexterically and politically) Says:
   Jul 10th, 2009 at 8:14pm

   So, what was that you were saying about the ACLU being nothing but a bunch of liberal weenies? :P

6. Anonymous Says:
   Jul 11th, 2009 at 4:11am

   "An American": Do you think before you type?

7. Brad Says:
   Jul 11th, 2009 at 1:59pm

   to "An American": Hopefully you or someone close to you will be arrested for something you didn't do, so that you will wake up and realize the stupidity of your statement. There are many people in jails, prisons, and on death row that do not deserve their punishment. It is just wrong to punish people by killing them until we have a perfect justice system that never makes errors. And if you think that the crime rate would drop if we brought back public hangings, just do a little research. In countries that have public hangings, murderers and rapists still exist. The main difference is that the law-abiding public lives in fear.

8. Sean S. Says:
   Jul 11th, 2009 at 2:05pm

   The better question is, where is the Alliance Defense Fund on this? Evidently Christian charity stops at the jailhouse door.

9. An Australian Says:
   Jul 11th, 2009 at 5:19pm

   I think "An American" left "Redneck" out of their name.

10. JJ Says:
    Jul 12th, 2009 at 8:50pm

    Too bad it's not just rapists or murderers who get put into prison.

11. Paen Says:
    Jul 14th, 2009 at 3:05pm

    Hell even in Iran they let prisoners pray.

12. Cathy Says:
    Jul 17th, 2009 at 5:02pm

    America has truly lost its way.

13. Erin Says:
    Jul 18th, 2009 at 8:01am

    I don't believe it's right to censor letters for no reason, but people *can* pray without being told what to think by relatives or by a book.

    I can't think of an explanation for censoring the letters other than... maybe in the past some prisoners communicated in codes that used scripture?

14. an american soldier Says:
    Jul 18th, 2009 at 8:32am

    first to paen, they dont allow iranians to pray they make them. nobody in that country has a choice, unless they want to die. nobody even prisoners should be denied the ability to worship. with that said. i think what "an american" meant was people serving on death row, or people imprisoned for a heinous crime. people who arent getting out anytime soon that made the decision to take away other's rights. and beingimprisoned should mean taking away all rights. hell they have more rights in prison then i do as a soldier

15. American from 1800's Says:
    Jul 18th, 2009 at 11:18am

    Whos rights were broken when a person went to jail. Jail should be hard labor and not a nice place with TV, phones, drugs and good food. Most jails are a better place than the street.

16. Scott Says:
    Jul 21st, 2009 at 11:41am

    AF1800,

    Your description of the ideal prison sounds like a description of the soviet gulags. Our wardens work to eliminate illegal drugs. Could you elaborate on how TVs, phones, and "good" food are prevalent in American prisons? I am also doubtful that access to TV is comparable to censorship and restriction of freedom of belief.

17. Jerry Says:
    Jul 23rd, 2009 at 8:05pm

    Some historical notes on this subject.

    http://njlegallib.rutgers.edu/weintraub/PDF/weintraub. 1991.pdf

    "The first prison in the United States was built in 1782. Started
    by the Philadelphia Quakers, the Walnut Street Penitentiary was
    intended as a reform over the earlier system of corporal punish-
    ment. Instead of being beaten, branded, or otherwise physically
    punished, the convicted criminal was simply deprived of hislib-
    erty. At the Walnut Street Penitentiary, this meant the prisoner
    was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of his sentence. All outside communication was cut off. Silence was strictly enforced. The prisoner was left alone with his Bible and his
    conscience.

    Within several years of its inception, the Walnut Street mode of punishment came under sharp attack. It was denounced as a failure because crime continued to flourish. Moreover, prisoner penance was costly; certainly more expensive than the methods of
    corporal punishment previously employed. Finally, and perhaps most ironically, imprisonment was charged with being a cruel punishment. Critics contended that the conditions of confinement—the constant solitude and the complete silence—drove prisoners insane."

18. bmbuzlr Says:
    Jul 26th, 2009 at 9:50pm

    What about being forced to go to AA meetings by a court and forced to pray an recite the Lord's prayer at those AA meetings if you are convicted of a DUI. Sounds like forcing religion by the government to me.

19. roald Says:
    Aug 13th, 2009 at 1:00pm

    Brad, as much as I agree with you about an American's opinions, I cannot wish something horrible happening to him or his loved ones. I can only hope that he listens to someone who was falsely imprisoned and is now free.

    bmcuzlr, I agree with you. I wonder what would have happened if the person to whom you are referring suggested a recovery support group that was not faith based.

20. Christian American Patriot Says:
    Aug 17th, 2009 at 6:41pm

    Since this is about a religious matter ie. the prisoner's letter was missing the religious parts etc., I feel it is unconstitutional. No matter what you are in jail for a person's soul is more valuable to God than your physcial need and only God will judge them. Any Biblical encouragment from the outside that may save them from eternal damnation is the most humane act that can be given.

21. Just a Concerned American Says:
    Aug 17th, 2009 at 7:54pm

    I see that the ACLU took up the cause of a prisoner being able to read Biblical scripture in a letter from mom. Good for them. And I see somone posted how "Hell even in Iran they let prisoners pray". That's good. Nobodys freedom of religion should be squelched. Period. I do wonder though, how the Iranian prison guard would treat a prisoner praying a Christian prayer. And why did the ACLU sue a principal and athletic director for simply saying grace over a meal served at a boosters meeting? Please don't tell me it's unconstitutional. My question is where is the harm ? who is being hurt ?

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