Ethics

ACLU Defends Prison Preacher

By Ed Brayton

The Philadelphia Bulletin reports:

Howard Thompson, Jr. led Sunday worship services at the New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) for more than a decade before the system placed a blanket ban on inmate evangelization last year.

Over the span of a year, Mr. Thompson has battled the prison system over his constitutional rights, and just last week, the argument grew a litigious limb.

In June 2007, allegedly without cause, Mr. Thompson was stripped of his religious free expression rights and forced to silence his preaching. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Mr. Thompson, calling for the restoration of his rights.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on December 13, 2008 (boomark / email).