Bay Minette Lets Offenders Choose: Jail Or Church

BAY MINETTE, Ala. -- A civil liberties group said Friday that an Alabama town should not start an alternative sentencing program that would give non-violent offenders a new choice: Go to jail, or go to church.

Starting next week, the program will allow a city judge to sentence misdemeanor offenders to work off their sentences in jail and pay a fine, or go to church every Sunday for a year. Offenders who select church can 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.

The Alabama branch of the American Civil Liberties Union plans to send Bay Minette officials a letter demanding that they suspend the program. While the group says it supports alternative sentencing programs that save money, it believes the plan in Bay Minette violates the Constitution, state ACLU Executive Director Olivia Turner said in a statement.

"But it is a fundamental principle of the Establishment Clause that the government cannot force someone to attend church," she said. "When the alternative to going to church is going to jail, the so-called `choice' available to offenders is no choice at all."

City officials did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press.

Pastor Robert Gates of Christian Life Church leads one of 56 congregations participating in the effort. He predicted it would succeed.

"You show me somebody who falls in love with Jesus, and I'll show you a person who won't be a problem to society but that will be an influence and a help to those around them," he told the television station.

Comments

[bweve05]

11:16 PM on 10/03/2011

This is very wrong. I am a Christian but I am extremely against the merging of church and state. Seperation of church and state is the only thing keeping us from going back to the dark ages. Forcing people to go to church upon inprisonment is evil. Jesus wouldnt do it. What makes them feel like they can?

[taoistpunk]

10:36 AM on 09/28/2011

wait a minute, don't we have some law against cruel and unusual punishment?

[kgum]

08:19 AM on 09/28/2011

"When the alternative to going to church is going to jail, the so-called `choice' available to offenders is no choice at all." Ms. Olivia Turner's comment should have read, "When the alternative to going to JAIL is going to CHURCH...." Phrased this way, it blows her argument out of the water. It sounds to me as if she's baiting....

[PirateJohn]

01:17 AM on 09/28/2011

Pastor Robert Gates: "You show me somebody who falls in love with Jesus, and I'll show you a person who won't be a problem to society"

Unless, of course, you consider altar boys to be part of society...

[PirateJohn]

01:14 AM on 09/28/2011

The Constitution? Oh, you mean that thing I'm taking a leak on? Yeah, it's right here.

[Wonder Woman2]

01:51 PM on 09/27/2011

is Wiccan allowed?

[singermuse]

01:40 PM on 09/27/2011

I don't suppose there are any Synagogues or Mosques or Buddhist Temples that they can choose? Whatever happened to the Separation of Church and State? Or how about a person's RIGHT to choose what or whether or not to believe?

[bluevolution]

12:07 PM on 09/29/2011

Sooo...along with what you said, will they let Atheists/agnostics go to Natural Museums, or science museums, or Natural history lectures and discussions, science lectures, science debates, etc. every sunday for a year? Those are our equivalent to churches. If so I just might be for this...lol.

[L3ftofC3nter]

01:37 PM on 09/27/2011

Bay Minette is about 10 minutes from my hometown in Alabama and I'm pretty sure the only 'churches you will find there are baptist, methodist and maybe a buddhist temple (sizeable Asian population). So I'm wondering who get's to decide which house of worship is acceptable for rehabilitation? This is so 'bama, I can't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

[lisaman]

12:39 PM on 09/27/2011

I wonder if they would allow me to use my ipod so I don't have to listen to their lies. Also I wonder, doesn't this go against our right to not have religion forced on us? It would be wrong to only allow Christians to be freed from jail when Jews, Muslims or even Atheists would be forced into a service they don't believe in. Nope, this should be Unconstitutional.

[PirateJohn]

01:16 AM on 09/28/2011

Maybe some HPers who live in Alabama can found their own "churches" that exist solely for people on this program.

[rev ta anderson]

11:47 AM on 09/27/2011

Good idea! I think it really depends on the church and what that church believes that will help the offender become a better member of society. I will follow this one closely!

[DK in MS]

12:35 PM on 09/27/2011

And if they choose to go to a mosque?

[CocaColaKid]

07:39 AM on 09/28/2011

There talking about Alabama, if you mentioned a Mosque, they would just look at you with a blank stare, mouth open, saying "whut's that?"

[lisaman]

12:43 PM on 09/27/2011

Do you think they should offer only one church or possibly have several set up to allow prisoners? Say one Synagogue, one Babtist, one Catholic, one Muslim, but then what of those non believers, how do you force them to either stay in jail or go to a church they don't believe in? How does that fit into the Constitution?

[CocaColaKid]

07:40 AM on 09/28/2011

Well, As an atheist, I guess I would have to choose jail, there is no way I could take an hour or more preaching on something that I don't believe in, and especially from a wound up southern preacher

[Cindy Tregan]

09:33 AM on 09/27/2011

""You show me somebody who falls in love with Jesus, and I'll show you a person who won't be a problem to society but that will be an influence and a help to those around them," he told the television station."

Yeah, cuz' that's how "falling in love" works - you FORCE someone to spend 1 hour per week with someone they aren't at all interested in, and MAGICKLY they "fall in love". Fat girls all over the world should be rejoicing - just force yourself into a guy's acquaintance for 1 hour a week for a year and BINGO - you've got him, Girl!

[Larry Motuz]

08:43 AM on 09/27/2011

I would 'guess' that Bay Minette has no mosques, wiccan temples, scientologists, or a La Vey Church of Satan, i.e. competing 'churches' with very different perspectives on good and evil and how to deal with it.

[mflorian]

06:49 AM on 09/27/2011

"'You show me somebody who falls in love with Jesus, and I'll show you a person who won't be a problem to society but that will be an influence and a help to those around them,' he told the television station."

...........................................do I really need to start posting the rebuttal links?

[lisaman]

12:50 PM on 09/27/2011

Not for me you don't, that is a truly ignorant statement. I have seen way too much of the opposite in my 52 years. Some of the most hateful people on Earth are religious zealots.

[Mannerjaa]

05:28 AM on 09/27/2011

There is negative correlation between intelligence and crime, stupid and less educated people do more crimes than the smarter ones. There is also negative correlation between intelligence and religion, those who are smarter and more educated are also less likely believers than the less educated ones. Instead of making offenders go to church, they should try to educate them.

[fds]

12:21 AM on 09/27/2011

I am offended that anyone thinks religion is the de facto avenue for moral teaching.

I am appalled that a judge thinks so, too. One day soon people will stop wondering why the South has a bad reputation about religiosity.

[IndependentAndProud]

06:14 PM on 09/27/2011

Not just religion in this case. A specific religion, which makes the decision much worse. Why not send some to Scientology classes, some to a jewish service, some to a hindu service, etc, etc? Oh, that's right...none of those other choices is available in this area. Yikes.

[fds]

09:00 PM on 09/27/2011

Indeed, very true.