Go to Jail or Go to Church

[Alecto]

How can this be legal?

Authorities say non-violent offenders in Bay Minette now have a new choice: Go to jail, or go to church every Sunday for a year.

Operation Restore Our Community begins next week.

The city judge will let misdemeanor offenders choose to work off their sentences in jail and pay a fine; or go to church every Sunday for a year.

If offenders select church, they will be allowed to pick the place of worship but must check in weekly with the pastor and the police department.

If the one-year church attendance program is completed successfully, the offender's case will be dismissed.

Bay Minette Police Chief Mike Rowland says the program could change the lives of people heading down the wrong path. So far, 56 churches are participating

http://www.thebigdc.com/cc-common/news/ ... le=9154690

[debrand]

Where is Bay Minette?

[Alecto]

Alabama, according to my google-fu.

[debrand]

Thanks. I found another article that mentioned the name of the state

http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?s=r ... eId=843784

No, I don't think that this is constitutional.

The city judge in Bay Minette will let misdemeanor offenders choose to work off their sentences in jail and pay a fine; or go to church every Sunday for a year.

What misdemeanors come with a year long prison sentence?

[emmiedahl]

Probably certain kinds of petty theft.

[Guest Anonymous]

I can't imagine this will survive an appeal. Maybe in Alabama state court because -- batshit crazy. (This is the state of Judge Roy "Ten Commandments" Moore after all). But I can't imagine the federal court allowing this bullshit.

I am sure the response from those defending the law will be that it is constitutional because it doesn't endorse any particular religion. (Despite the reference to Sundays and church, I assume that going to another religious institution on another day of the week would be fine too.) But obviously this leaves atheists out in the cold and coerces religious participation.

Besides, I would think that believers would be somewhat insulted by the concept of being SENTENCED to go to church.

[emmiedahl]

Not to mention: what if the offender already goes to church? Like, if it didn't stop them before, why would it now?

[doggie]

this is a win situation for a criminal talk about getting off easy. I am sure someone will complain but still. sleep for a hour or so and you are home free.

[Stickers]

I think this outrageous. Why not community service that could be served by helping a church? Going to church is not in itself a good deed so they are not righting their wrong by doing it.

I mean, Alabama doesn't have any littered roads they can have people clean up? Any graffiti that needs to be painted over?

[Koala]

Absolute bullshit. *sigh* I am in Alabama. Who wants to rescue us? Just look for the 4 liberal, Atheists....I'm pretty sure we're they only ones here.

[Sola]

:o

Seriously?

I'm speechless.

OK not quite speechless. Why not a mosque or a synagogue?

Somebody needs to appeal this.

[Austin]

How can this be legal?

WTF? :shock:

This cannot be legal. I hope.

Like people who go to church don't commit misdemeanor crimes?

[Swamptribe]

Unconstitutional. They are going to waste a lot of taxpayer money defending this in court. Plus, I bet at least half the offenders already attend church on a regular basis. Some of the most dishonest people I have ever met were regular churchgoers.

[clibbyjo]

Since you can pick the church, I would pick a Pagan meetup at Barnes and Noble or something to piss them off.

Or pick the UU, they are all about justice and probably have 100 atheist lawyers who will defend them after hearing of such a ridiculous punishment.

[Buzzard]

I think its fine since there is no particular denomination involved. The only real challenge that could come would be from an atheist who claims he is being treated differently. In that case they would have to allow an atheist meeting or something of the sort. I totally agree that going to a satanic service or something of the sort would be AWESOME!

The bottom line is that this is most likely used for first time shoplifters, drunk and disorderly etc type people. A little morals and values may not be a bad thing for them, regardless of the pulpit it comes from. I much prefer community service type sentences but this puts people in the pews with the opportunity to meet "good" people, maybe find out about educational/vocational services offered by the community, and may lead to more things. Its better than chillin with other criminals pretending to pick up trash and smoking on the side of the highway.

[Koala]

Morals and "good people" aren't always found in church pews.

[Buzzard]

Morals and "good people" aren't always found in church pews.

Very true. But they're much less likely to be found in jail.

[bananacat]

I wonder how the churches feel about this.

[CanadianHippie]

Some Unitedstatians are crazy... Well, from inside my happy little hippie bubble, the vast majority appear crazy, but this is a whole new level of crazy.

[mirele]

I wonder how the churches feel about this.

The article I read indicated that they had 50-plus churches signed up.

I think the ACLU and Americans United are going to be on this in 3...2...it's seriously unconstitutional. It's like those special Christian prison units set up in (I think) Iowa by Prison Fellowship. The courts weren't having any of that, since it wasn't available to anyone who wasn't an evangelical Christian. And I don't see that any Jewish temples or Wiccan covens were invited to participate, either.

As for what can get you in jail for a year--class A misdemeanor in most states, which usually means theft in a certain amount, first-time DUI, assault and battery. It depends on the state's laws. And given the general overcrowding in most prisons and jails these days, going to church 52 Sundays, hell, I'd take it (but I'd rather stay out of jail to start).

[demgirl]

I will be interested to see what the courts do with this when it inevitably gets challenged. On one hand, it's not an endorsement of a particular religion. On the other hand, it is an endorsement of religion itself. If you can't say, "Go to church or you will be penalized" in every day life, why should the criminal justice system have that power if you've committed a misdemeanor? One of the big things you don't lose when you go to jail is freedom of religion (w/ some exceptions). Alabama will certainly lose if there isn't an option for atheists or buddhists or any other non-mainstream religion, but then again, it's Alabama, so how often will that come up?

I think this is ridiculous. I don't accept the argument that it somehow "helps" criminals to be around "good people" in church. I think that's a faulty premise -- that people in church are "good". They are people. The same types of people you would get if you sentenced the convicted person to work at a soup kitchen, or cleaning graffiti or to attend therapy, or whatever. But then again, I don't think non-violent offenders belong in jail and I would always sentence them to personality and skill specific community service, so I'm biased on that point.

Bogus, man. Bogus. Where's my ACLU card? It should have some sort of emergency number included.

[Lillybee]

I believe that the ACLU is already saying that this is unconstitutional.

[Elle]

Thanks. I found another article that mentioned the name of the state

http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?s=r ... eId=843784

No, I don't think that this is constitutional.

What misdemeanors come with a year long prison sentence?

Federal definition of a misdemeanor is any crime with a sentence of up to and including exactly one year, and felonies are crimes that receive a sentence of one year and one day or longer, regardless of the actual crime or the possible sentence. Say you kill a guy, and somehow get 11 months. That's a misdemeanor. Let's say you break into a few cars and get 13 months. That's a felony. All the difference is is how much jail time was sentenced. Not served. Not potentially could have been sentenced. Just what you were sentenced.

[JesusFightClub]

What would happen if you wanted to rotate between different churches, denominations or even religions? Our mosque here runs a kitchen, would it be OK to nip in there for a tasty meal but not attend a service?

I would totes declare myself Temple of Set or Church of Satan and demand a right to attend their services/meetings. With the State paying my expenses if I have to travel, like they would pay for me in jail.

[Vex]

This is very wrong. It should be community service or jail, they have no right to try and force religion on anyone. Criminals have rights too.

That said, I'd go to chruch for sure. I might be an atheist, but I love listening to the bible being read, singing hymns and zoning out in beautiful, tranquil churches.