Berkeley jail tries to avoid religious bias

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MONCKS CORNER -- Inmates can't bring magic wands into the Berkeley County jail, as one Wiccan found out, but Christians can't bring in crucifixes either.

In the wake of a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union, jail officials hope to show that their strict policies on what they forbid behind bars doesn't discriminate against any religion. The lawsuit came about after the jail turned away mail, including a monthly newsletter called Prison Legal News, and previously rejected all reading material but soft-cover Bibles.

Earlier this month lawyers with the U.S. Justice Department toured the jail and interviewed non-Christian inmates. Court records filed Friday show that the Muslim inmates either had Korans in their cells or chose not to purchase Korans from the commissary and that a Wiccan inmate chose to leave his holy book at home for safekeeping.

Before this lawsuit, inmates only could receive religious literature and could purchase some publications from the commissary. Now, they also can receive books and magazines sent directly from bookstores or publishers.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/may/29/berkeley-jail-tries-to-avoid-religious-bias/