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July 11, 2008
State Prisons May Increase Religious Offerings
Barbara Pash
Associate Editor
A pilot project may be launched in Maryland prisons as early as this fall allowing Jewish prisoners to observe the High Holidays.
The project was the topic of a recent meeting between local Jewish leaders and Secretary Gary D. Maynard, head of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
The meeting took place at the initiative of the Aleph Institute, a Miami-based national organization advocating for Jewish prisoners and other Jews “in harm’s way, like service men and women,” according to Bob Moore, director of the institute’s prison policy oversight.
Mr. Maynard believes that “faith is an important part of life,” according to Rick Binetti, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety andCorrectional Services. “It’s his belief that faith and religion play a major role in offenders’ positive rehabilitation and ultimate re-entry back into society.”
The number of Jewish inmates in the state’s 25 prisons is estimated at between 165-175 out of a total prison population of approximately 25,000 men and women. That is the number of inmates who identity themselves as Jewish, although about half would meet the “biblical definition” of a Jew, said Mr. Moore.
In 2006, the institute began its campaign to expand the state’s prison religious observance policy, which limits celebration of religious holidays to two, and in some cases one, per year. Mr. Moore said the institute’s goal is for Jewish inmates to be able to worship on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, at a minimum. If the project works, he said, other holidays like Sukkot and Passover might be added later.
Mr. Moore called Maryland’s policy “old and archaic. It’s been on the books for years,” and is out of step with what other states are doing for prisoners’ religious rights. Moreover, he said, Maryland’s policy does not conform to federal legislation that went into effect in 2000.
Mr. Moore praised Mr. Maynard for his willingness to re-examine the state’s policy. “He is a career professional who is bringing the Maryland correctional system into the 21st century,” said Mr. Moore.
Also attending the meeting were Del. Samuel I. “Sandy” Rosenberg (D-41st); Arthur C. Abramson and David Conn of the Baltimore Jewish Council; and an attorney from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
Mr. Rosenberg said Mr. Maynard did not announce a policy change at the meeting, but he indicated that a review of the current policy will be undertaken and further discussion will take place.
“It was an amicable, positive discussion. Nobody left the meeting saying, ‘We’ll see you in court,’” said Mr. Rosenberg. “Clearly, Mr. Maynard appreciates the importance of faith and prisoners’ behavior, inside and out of prison. It’s an important element in people’s re-entry into society.”
Mr. Maynard “agreed to work with the Jewish community to find ways to allow” more religious accommodations for Jewish prisoners, said Mr. Conn, noting that the institute works with the Jewish Big Brother and Big Sister League to operate prison services.
Mr. Moore said any change in the policy regarding religious observance would have to apply to all 33 “recognized religious” groups within the prison system. “My impression was they’re going to reach out to the leaders in the various religious communities, go to the Muslim chaplains and talk to them [about the issue],” he said.
Mr. Moore said the topic of kosher food was touched on briefly at the meeting, but it was not part of the official agenda. Mr. Rosenberg made the point that there are “significant limits” to what Mr. Maynard can do regarding food.
“Special food for Passover, getting a bag meal after sundown for Yom Kippur, these are things we take for granted that you can’t do in a prison setting,” Mr. Rosenberg said.
Mr. Binetti called the meeting “productive and positive,” although he did not characterize it as unusual. “Any time a community has an issue, we pay attention,” he said.
Mr. Binetti said Mr. Maynard is “committed to finding a solution for all inmates in the near future” regarding the religious observance policy, and “a pilot project may be part of that.”
“That is the direction we are going in. There is definitely common ground,” Mr. Binetti said. “But security has to be number one — between security and the religious community’s concerns about religious rights.”
Mr. Binetti said the state prison system will also work with the Aleph Institute for the rehabilitation of Jewish prisoners post-release.