Alito's has no record on church-state funding issues.

At confirmation hearings he was quick to note that the "Lemon Test" has been reduced from three prongs to two prongs.

The missing prong -- the prohibition against "excessive entanglement" between church and state -- has obvious implications if state funds are transferred to faith groups.

by Mainstream Baptist on Fri Jan 20, 2006 at 10:40:38 AM EST

Colson has been a major promoter of what I term "faith based coercion"--religious programs, often for which participation is mandatory (either in general or for benefits like early release, etc.)--to literally captive audiences like prisons, "behaviour modification" facilities, and the like.

The first article I've written on "faith based coercion" details specifically how these programs are increasingly being promoted in prisons as a mandatory requirement for things like being considered for parole, and how in some instances they are becoming mandatory period (both in prison itself, and in "faith based coercion" programs increasingly being used as a form of alternative sentencing).

Very nearly all of these programs are connected to dominionist groups; quite a number of them are tied to the Assemblies of God in particular.  Colson's own group has a known, documented history of coercive tactics:

Another group hip deep in dominionist connections is Prison Fellowship Ministries--this group is operated by Charles Colson (yes, as in the Watergate Charles Colson). Colson has numerous links to dominionist groups including the secretive Council for National Policy, has been been involved with dominionism at its very core, and has even claimed that Hurricane Katrina was a sign from God that we need to step up efforts in the "war on terror". Colson is also largely responsible for selling dominionism to Catholics.

There are reports that similar instances of religious coercion have occured with Prison Fellowship Ministries--that people are required to join the programs as a condition of early parole, for instance.   Texas' parole system is an example of a parole board that essentially has participation in "faith based" programs, and specifically Prison Fellowship Ministries, as a qualifying condition for parole; per this site there are already some initial reports that people are being made to join as a condition of parole.   Per the following article from Mother Jones, not only is coercion to join the PFI programs increasing but PFI is also targeting children of inmates for stealth evangelism.

The frightening thing is, Colson's PFI is probably one of the less coercive groups targeting literally captive audiences; one particular group linked with former Supreme Court candidate Harriet Miers (one of a number of Assemblies-associated "prison ministries") is actually implicated in forced conversions under duress, as well as retaliation against people protesting the dominionist bent of the program.  The group itself is also linked to a highly abusive AoG front group, "Youth With A Mission", which is almost universally considered a coercive religious group by exit counselors.

It is an extremely encouraging sign that Americans United is fighting this sort of "faith based coercion".

by dogemperor on Fri Jan 20, 2006 at 12:29:15 PM EST

Florida leads the nation in "Faith Based" Prisons

Florida Opens 'Faith-Based Prison'

by Christopher Getzan

Dec 24, 2003 - Telling 800 inmates that their commitment to a "higher authority" can keep them from returning to jail, Florida Governor Jeb Bush dedicated what is being called the country's first "faith-based prison" as part of a new state prison program in Lawtey, Florida.

The entire medium-security prison, according to Bush, will be devoted to faith-based activities

Nine other prisons already have similar programs, but are limited to "dormitories," says the Times. Florida prison officials stress that participation in Lawtey's unique prison life is voluntary, but inmates who do not wish to join in will be moved out and others, "who are seeking to better themselves," according to a Department of Corrections official, will be moved in. After the November announcement of Lawtey's impending conversion from a secular to spiritual prison, 111 prisoners transferred out. Their spots were filled by volunteers from other prisons.

....While the Times reported that "26 faiths" are represented at Lawtey, Governor Bush nevertheless told assembled inmates, "I can't think of a better place to reflect on the awesome love of our lord Jesus than to be here at Lawtey Correctional. God bless you.'' [ emphasis mine ]

Here's the Florida Dept. of Corrections "Faith Based" web page

I rather like the alternate term "spiritual prison" .

Listen to a radio discussion on Florida's rapidly growing "Faith Based" prison system :

[ Source: ] Faith in prison is nothing new, but now Florida state prisons are officially promoting faith and character based programs in three state correctional institutions. Late last year Governor Jeb Bush attended the conversion ceremony of the Wakulla Correctional Institution which is now the largest faith based prison in the nation with the ability to house more than 1600 inmates. The state already offered faith based programs at Lawtey and Hillsborough Correctional Institutions before adding Wakulla to the mix. While supporters applaud the efforts as part of the process to reform inmates, opponents say the programs violate the Constitution and question the overall effectiveness. Joining our discussion this month on Faith Based Prisons is Fran Barber, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Institutions and Programs within the Florida Department of Corrections (Barber will join us for the first segment only). Also with us is Harold Smith, Inside Coordinator for Faith and Character Based Programming at the Wakulla Correctional Institution, Dan Mears Associate Professor at the Florida State University College of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Rob Boston, Assistant Director of Communications for Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

 

by Bruce Wilson on Fri Jan 20, 2006 at 12:54:47 PM EST

Study : Colson's "Faith Based" Prison Program Doesn't Work

Faith-Based Fudging: How a Bush-promoted Christian prison program fakes success by massaging data. [ posted on Slate, Posted Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2003, at 12:35 PM ET  ]

By Mark A.R. Kleiman

"When he was governor of Texas, Bush invited Charles Colson's Prison Fellowship to start InnerChange Freedom Initiative, a Bible-centered prison-within-a-prison where inmates undergo vigorous evangelizing, prayer sessions, and intensive counseling*. Now comes a study from the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society reporting that InnerChange graduates have been rearrested and reimprisoned at dramatically lower rates than a matched control group....

But when you look carefully at the Penn study, it's clear that the program didn't work. The InnerChange participants did somewhat worse than the controls: They were slightly more likely to be rearrested and noticeably more likely (24 percent versus 20 percent) to be reimprisoned. If faith is, as Paul told the Hebrews, the evidence of things not seen, then InnerChange is an opportunity to cultivate faith; we certainly haven't seen any results.

So, how did the Penn study get perverted into evidence that InnerChange worked? Through one of the oldest tricks in the book, one almost guaranteed to make a success of any program: counting the winners and ignoring the losers. The technical term for this in statistics is "selection bias"; program managers know it as "creaming." Harvard public policy professor Anne Piehl, who reviewed the study before it was published, calls this instance of it "cooking the books."

Here's how the study got adulterated.....

by Bruce Wilson on Fri Jan 20, 2006 at 01:16:42 PM EST

this one hits interestingly close to home. i believe my parents back in iowa have participated in visits to inmates as part of this program. certainly they know people in their church who are very active with it. i'll be watching this story closely.

by IseFire on Fri Jan 20, 2006 at 04:17:50 PM EST

Oops. I read the story, commented, and THEN clicked thru to the AU link. Yup, Newton, Iowa. That's where my parents live (and where I graduated from high school). Certainly this is the same program I've heard them speak about.

by IseFire on Fri Jan 20, 2006 at 04:19:25 PM EST

If this is a Talk To Action site, where is the action.

I remember someone asking Fawell if he is so against abortion, why is he not trying to help unmarried, pregnant teenagers. Out of that question came a whole new ministry.

So why is not someone on this site proposing developing an alternative organization to provide inmates help in becoming productive members to society instead lambasting one of the best organizations available to these inmates even if "faith-based".

Is the goal to release these inmates to society and productive and law-abiding citizens or not?  Is the only solution for taking on the dominionist groups always have to be legal? Why not try to offer a better product?

Having done prison ministry for a number of years I can simply say that Prison Fellowships programs are some of the best.


by Vaclav on Fri Jan 20, 2006 at 07:41:01 PM EST