Evangelical Prison?
|
WAKITA — This tiny town near the Oklahoma-Kansas state line north of Enid may soon own the country's only all-Christian prison, with Christian administrators, employees, counselors and programs.
...
Renee Watkins, the administrator of private prisons and jails for the Department of Corrections, said Corrections Concepts Inc. had presented the project to the agency.
"It's a good concept," she said.
"But as far as us using it, we can't make a commitment at all. We're in a bad position because of budget shortfalls. We're not in the market for private prison beds."
Robinson said that if the Corrections Department does not commit to using the prison, the ministry will seek inmates from other states.
...
"They don't have to go to church, or Bible study, but they have to participate in the curriculum, which is Christ-centered," Robinson said.
He possesses legal opinions that say that as a religious organization, the prison will be able to hire only people of like faith, he said.
If constitutional challenges arise, he said, the American Center for Law and Justice, a major Christian law firm, has agreed to represent the ministry for free.
"True public safety is to change prisoners into citizens," Robinson said.
"Ninety-eight percent of offenders are going to get out of prison. What kind of offender do you want living next door?"
How about one that hasn't been taught that whatever he does he's till going to heaven. It's not as if being Christian is any indicator that the person is less likely to commit a crime.
