SectionsPrisons ban religious texts
Geoff Pickle
Issue date: 9/18/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Across the United States, federal penitentiaries have been at work taking certain religious materials out of prisons and thus out of the hands of inmates, in accordance with a 2004 report by the Office of the Inspector General in the Justice Department.
The report was set in place because of the Sept. 11 tragedy and hopes to inhibit prisons from becoming thick with religiously based terrorist groups.
"The BOP (Bureau of Prisons) decision to enact new procedures was prompted by concerns regarding the potential for inmate radicalization which was highlighted in the 2004 Inspector General's report on Muslim Religious Services Providers," said Michael Truman, Public Information Specialist for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Truman explained how the new list of literature and materials was chosen. Determining the appropriateness of religious books, tapes, CDs and videos was the job of religious subject matter experts, or SMEs. Each SME was assigned a particular religion and given the task of certifying the content of about 150 print, 150 audio and 150 video sources to be included on a standardized list of allowed content. The combined lists of the SMEs were narrowed down and put into effect.
The BOP has promised that religious material will still be available to all religious groups and that the new list will not "discriminate, disparage, advocate violence or radicalize."
The BOP maintains that although they are aware that inmates can still form terrorist groups without the backing of religious materials, they feel that the removal of certain media can help the cause.
"The review of chapel library materials to ensure we do not make available materials that may incite or are disparaging or advocate violence is but one of the many measures undertaken by the Bureau of Prisons," Truman said.
Lawsuits have already been filed by inmates that feel the new policy violates First Amendment rights. The public first became aware of the issue when several inmates filed lawsuits at the Federal Prison Camp in Otisville, N.Y. The case was brought back up on Aug. 21 by lawyers from the New York firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
When asked about the BOP response to these accusations of First Amendment violations, Truman responded that it would not be prudent to address the issue due to pending litigation.
The report was set in place because of the Sept. 11 tragedy and hopes to inhibit prisons from becoming thick with religiously based terrorist groups.
"The BOP (Bureau of Prisons) decision to enact new procedures was prompted by concerns regarding the potential for inmate radicalization which was highlighted in the 2004 Inspector General's report on Muslim Religious Services Providers," said Michael Truman, Public Information Specialist for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Truman explained how the new list of literature and materials was chosen. Determining the appropriateness of religious books, tapes, CDs and videos was the job of religious subject matter experts, or SMEs. Each SME was assigned a particular religion and given the task of certifying the content of about 150 print, 150 audio and 150 video sources to be included on a standardized list of allowed content. The combined lists of the SMEs were narrowed down and put into effect.
The BOP has promised that religious material will still be available to all religious groups and that the new list will not "discriminate, disparage, advocate violence or radicalize."
The BOP maintains that although they are aware that inmates can still form terrorist groups without the backing of religious materials, they feel that the removal of certain media can help the cause.
"The review of chapel library materials to ensure we do not make available materials that may incite or are disparaging or advocate violence is but one of the many measures undertaken by the Bureau of Prisons," Truman said.
Lawsuits have already been filed by inmates that feel the new policy violates First Amendment rights. The public first became aware of the issue when several inmates filed lawsuits at the Federal Prison Camp in Otisville, N.Y. The case was brought back up on Aug. 21 by lawyers from the New York firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
When asked about the BOP response to these accusations of First Amendment violations, Truman responded that it would not be prudent to address the issue due to pending litigation.
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