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 May God Heal Iowa Prisoners? Judge Says 'No', Becket Fund Says 'Yes'Dec 7, 2006 On December 4, Prison Fellowship Ministries filed a reply brief in their appeal of a June federal court order shutting down a very effective prisoner rehabilitation program, and ordering that the $1.5 million the state of Iowa paid for the program be repaid in full. The program, Iowa InnerChange Freedom Initiative, was ruled to be "pervasively sectarian" and in violation of the separation of church and state, despite the dramatic results it has produced in turning hardened criminals into reformed, law-abiding citizens.
Both Prison Fellowship Ministries and the Iowa InnerChange Freedom Initiative are represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Becket Fund President and Founder Kevin J. "Seamus" Hasson commented on the importance of the case:
“There is more at stake in this case than one great prison program. The trial court’s opinion threatens to obliterate the good works of many faith-based organizations that contract with the government to serve society. In defending Prison Fellowship, we are defending them all.”
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