Judge Strikes Down Iowa Christian Prison Program

Posted on Jun 13, 2006

In a ruling that could have major implications for Bush’s faith-based initiatives, an Iowa judge ruled that an evangelical Christian prison rehabilitation program was “pervasively sectarian,” and that the state of Iowa “is excessively entangled with religion” through the program.

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Christian Science Monitor:

CHICAGO - It’s a court case that could have major implications for President Bush’s faith-based initiative: Is an evangelical Christian prison rehabilitation program, paid for by taxpayer dollars, constitutional?

The answer, issued by a federal district judgee in Iowa on June 2, was a resounding “no.”

Judge Robert Pratt found that the InnerChange program run by Prison Fellowship Ministries in an Iowa prison was “pervasively sectarian” and that the facts “leave no room to doubt that the state of Iowa is excessively entangled with religion” through the program.

The decision, which will be appealed, is a major victory for those who believe America has gone too far in supporting religious or semireligious activities using public money.

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