Offenders in Ala. town can choose jail or church

[n2doc]

BAY MINETTE, Ala. (AP) — Authorities say non-violent offenders in southern Alabama will have a new choice: Go to jail, or go to church every Sunday for a year.

WKRG-TV reports (http://bit.ly/qpxXJX) that Operation Restore Our Community begins next week.

The city judge in Bay Minette will let misdemeanor offenders choose to work off their sentences in jail and pay a fine; or go to church every Sunday for a year.

If offenders select church, they'll be allowed to pick the place of worship but must check in weekly with the pastor and police.

If the one-year church attendance program is completed, the offender's case will be dismissed.

http://news.yahoo.com/offenders-ala-town-choose-jail-church-134212663.html

[MADem]

1. What if they're Muslim or Jewish? Sunday's a "bad day"--as it were. NT

[barbtries]

2. is this

a violation of church and state?

[enlightenment]

7. Seems like it should be . . .

and the ACLU agrees; they consider it a violation of the an individual's 1st Amendment protections. "Going to church" for a year, one day a week is very different from being incarcerated for even a short period of time (despite what bored church attendees might think) - there is not 'equivalent' punishment available.

Even if one agreed that they were equivalent, the requirement that the individual report on their attendance - presumably they have to prove they were there - is beyond the pale. Gross interference by the State in religious matters.

[Posteritatis]

10. Utterly. (nt)

[HereSince1628]

3. A story was also posted of an Idaho jusridiction doing the same...

Can't remember if the project had a similar name.

[NYC Liberal]

4. So they're saying going to church is a punishment equivalent to prison?

;)

[d_r]

5. apparently

there are no 7th day adventists in bay minette

[lunatica]

6. It would be a very hard choice for me and I'd probably pick going to jail

LOL! I truly hate religion.

[Lucian]

8. I would rather go to jail than go to church.

30 days in jail > one hour of church service

[Irishonly]

9. It's wrong

I don't know what else to say except that this is wrong.