prison
‘Peeping Tom’ rabbi sentenced to more than 6 years
By Lauren Markoe — May 15, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) Prosecutors wanted him behind bars for 17 years. His lawyer asked for community service. The judge did neither.
Interfaith activists call solitary confinement immoral, ineffective
By Adelle M. Banks — May 13, 2015
(RNS) “Once you’ve stood inside the cell and heard the sounds of an actual solitary confinement unit echoing in your very being, it becomes very hard to forget or to ignore,” said the Rev. Kate Edwards, a Zen Buddhist in Madison, Wis.
Supreme Court upholds religious rights of prisoners
By Richard Wolf — January 20, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) The court came down decisively on the side of a Muslim prisoner whose beard had been deemed potentially dangerous by Arkansas prison officials. Growing a beard, the justices said, was a Muslim man's religious right.
Justice Roberts asks if the case of the Muslim prisoner’s beard is too easy
By Lauren Markoe — October 7, 2014
(RNS) In the first religion case of the Supreme Court season, a Muslim prisoner asks for the right to grow a very short beard.
Inside job: Inmates help further Mormon genealogy work
By Brooke Adams — April 2, 2014
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) Inmates who volunteered at Utah State Prison Family History Centers last year indexed more than 2 million records. They also put in approximately 50,000 hours of personal family research.
Supreme Court rejects asylum bid for German home-schooling family
By Sarah Pulliam Bailey — March 3, 2014
(RNS) Advocates for Uwe and Hannelore Romeike and their six children are now looking to Congress to pass a bill allowing the home-schooling family to remain in the U.S.
84-year-old nun gets 35 months for breaking into nuclear facility
By Amanda Murphy — February 18, 2014
(RNS) An 84-year-old nun gets nearly three years in prison for breaking into a federal nuclear facility as the judge explains that no one is above the law.
Books project helps atheists make the case for unbelief behind bars
By Kimberly Winston — January 22, 2014
(RNS) “Not all prisoners are religious, and I wanted them to know that to turn your life around and be a good and productive member of society does not require a belief in God,” says Leslie Zukor, founder of the Freethought Books Project.
Nigeria’s religious leaders welcome controversial anti-gay law
By Fredrick Nzwili — January 16, 2014
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) Christian and Muslim leaders in Nigeria welcomed a controversial law that bans same-sex marriages and imposes a 14-year jail term for homosexual relations.
Pope Francis celebrates Mass with wafers made by Argentine inmate
By Alessandro Speciale — August 27, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis celebrates his daily Mass using Communion wafers made by Gabriela Caballero, a 38-year-old woman who is serving a seven-year jail term outside Buenos Aires.
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly Video: Prison nonviolence project
By Sally Morrow — May 20, 2013
For most of its 160 year history, San Quentin has been known as a tough place to do hard time. But over the past two decades, this has begun to change.
Canadian prisoners sue over lack of chaplains
By Ron Csillag — April 2, 2013
TORONTO (RNS) A group of prisoners in British Columbia is suing the Canadian government over a policy to cancel the contracts of non-Christian chaplains.
Imprisoned Iranian-American pastor gets push from State Dept.
By Adelle M. Banks — March 26, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) Secretary of State John Kerry is calling for the release of an Iranian-American minister from a Tehran prison, a welcome step for advocates who had accused the State Department of being "AWOL" on the case.
Study offers view of religious life behind prison walls
By Adelle M. Banks — March 23, 2012
WASHINGTON (RNS) Behind high walls and barbed wire, the inmates of Muslim and pagan faiths are most likely to have extreme religious views and be the least assisted by religious volunteers, according to a snapshot of how chaplains view religious life behind bars released Thursday (March 22). By Adelle M. Banks.
Page 3 of 3