Ethics

ACLU Wins Fight Over Virginia Jail Letters

By Ed Brayton

Less than a month after the ACLU sent a letter threatening to sue a Virginia jail for censoring Bible verses in letters to and from inmates, the jail has reversed its policy. A press release from the ACLU said:

In response to a letter sent last month by the American Civil Liberties Union, a Virginia jail has agreed to change its policies regarding prison mail to ensure that biblical passages and other religious material sent to prisoners are no longer censored. The ACLU's letter complained that religious material sent to detainees at the Rappahannock Regional Jail in Stafford, VA was being withheld by jail officials.

"The censorship of religious materials sent to prisoners violates both the rights of detainees to practice their religion freely while incarcerated as well as the free speech rights of those wanting to communicate with prisoners," said David Shapiro, staff attorney with the ACLU National Prison Project and author of the letter. "We are pleased that jail officials have indicated a commitment to upholding these important constitutional values."

I'm sure we'll be hearing any moment from our STACLU friends about how terrible it is for the well-funded ACLU to come barging in to poor, underfunded local communities, threatening and intimidating local officials and making them cave in to their threats of legal blackmail. Right guys? Uh...guys?

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on August 16, 2009 (boomark / email).