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ACLU says Rappahannock Regional Jail's policy on biblical references in letters violates Constitution.
BY ELLEN BILTZ
The ACLU sent a letter this morning accusing the Rappahannock Regional Jail of taking part in the unconstitutional practice of censorship. In the letter, sent to the jail’s superintendent, Joseph Higgs, the ACLU told the jail to "remedy the illegal practices" of cutting out biblical references from letters written to inmates. The letter cites the specific example of a woman named Anna Williams, who sent a letter to her son, an inmate at the jail. "Using scissors or a hobby knife, Jail officials literally cut the religious portions out of Ms. Williams' letters and delivered only snippets that did not quote the Bible,” the letter states. By the time it got to Williams' son, the letter states, so much of it was cut, the only thing that could be read was "the salutation, the first paragraph of the letter, and the closing, 'Love Mom'." The letter was sent by representatives of the ACLU who work for a division called the National Prison Project and backed by a slew of other organizations. David Shapiro, an attorney with the Prison Project, said this morning that he anticipates the jail will change their practices after they are made aware of the constitutional issues. "We fully expect that the jail will realize this is unconstitutional," he said. Shapiro added that the constitutional issue goes beyond only religious passages. According to the jail's letter policy, they also redact statements that appear to be taken from the Internet, a constitutional violation, Shapiro asserts. The ACLU's letter cites court cases showing precedents that find the practices illegal. At the end of the letter, the ACLU makes a request that the jail not censor letters purely because they contain biblical information and to revise its inmate mail policy. "We look forward to hearing from you and hope that this matter can be resolved without resort to litigation,” the letter concludes. Higgs could not be reached by The Free Lance-Star this morning for comment. Representatives at the jail would not comment today, directing calls to their attorney Bill Hefty. Hefty would only acknowledge that he'd received a copy of the letter and was "looking into it." He refused to say how or if the jail would respond to the ACLU.
Ellen Biltz: 540/374-5424
Date published: 7/9/2009
I was half expecting to see the ACLJ as one of the ACLU’s bedfellows. Though it doesn’t surprise me they aren’t listed since as late as 2004 the ACLJ was characterizing the ACLU as having intense opposition to the ACLJ victory in Lamb’s Chapel, which of course is as dishonest as someone can get. The ACLU was on their side in that case. It’s no wonder they aren’t listed with the ACLU in this case.
As dicerotops notes, they are about rights. That's it. Do you remember when folks were run off Falmouth Beach for baptizing? Yeah, it was the ACLU that got that straightened out.
The ACLU is about preserving the constitution. Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, etc, its all about what the ACLU stands for. The ACLU isn't against the Bible, only forcing it upon people who may not want to read it. They aren't against prayer, only not forcing it upon those who don't want to say it. They support religious rights, and that includes Christianity.
unconstitutional act. But, it looks like it was a one time deal as there is nothing in the jail's policy that requires such behavior. Maybe it was simply an overzealous employee or someone confused by all of the intricacies involving church/state relations. It's interesting, though, in that it brings together some strange bedfellows: see the signers of the letter.
That's the first thing I thought when I started reading this. Now if an inmate complained that they were being subjected to biblical references, the ACLU would be sending a letter the opposite of this.
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