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FFRF protects Minn. prisoners’ rights (Feb. 23, 2015)

The Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud has agreed to discontinue providing extra gifts to prisoners who attend holiday Christian services.

“Encouraging inmates to attend a church service is constitutionally impermissible because it coerces inmates to participate in a religious exercise, and sends the message that MCF-St. Cloud endorses Christianity over all other faiths and over nonreligion,” wrote Staff Attorney Sam Grover on Feb. 12.

Warden Collin Gau responded Feb. 23. “We had no intention of sending a message that MCF-St. Cloud endorses Christianity over other religion, and to avoid that effective immediately, we will discontinue providing any gifts to offenders as a part of attending any religious programming at MCF-St. Cloud.”

Freedom From Religion Foundation