In April 2014 the Federal District Court found that Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) was violating Muslims who are locked up there under the Free Exercise Claus and the Religious Land Use and Instiutionalized Persons Act. TDCJ was not allowing Muslims to have over an hour a week for services, unless a volunteer was there with the incarcerated people. Jehovah’s witnesses also filed a lawsuit to have service without a volunteer, in tthat case which was settled in 2012, the “Scott Plan” was created.
The “Scott Plan” said that unless religious groups had a volunteer, they couldn’t have service, and the service they did have had to be watched by an officer, eventhough the Christians was getting 6 hours a week.
The “Scott Plan” also said people who are locked up couldn’t have more than 4 people in a religious service, and the service they was allowed to have had to be monitored by an officer.
In a court case called Brown v. Livingston it was held that Muslims be allowed 6 hours a week and that TDCJ stop discriminating against them. The Feds found that it would be impossible for Muslims to have Taleem (classes to study Islaam) Jumu’ah and Qu’ran studies in just 1 hour a week. The court said:
“Practices of Jumu’ah, Taleem and Qu’ranic studies are indispensable to a Muslim’s exercise of his religious beliefs.”
In May 2013 the prison population of TDCJ was: 151,139—
now here is a religious breakdown:
6,775 Muslim
1,740 Jehovah’s Witnesses
88,504 Protestants
31,432 Catholics
and 896 Jewish
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Jonathan Gordon
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