American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin
Press Release

ACLU of Wisconsin Commends Waukesha County Sheriff for Lifting Religious Text Restrictions in Local Jail

"It is paramount that those incarcerated in our jails and prisons have the ability to practice their religion free from government interference or proselytizing."

By - Dec 2nd, 2019 11:17 am

WAUKESHA – The Waukesha County Jail has revised a policy which previously prohibited individuals held in disciplinary cells from possessing religious material other than a jail-issued Bible. The restriction was removed from the facility’s official handbook soon after the ACLU of Wisconsin wrote a letter calling on Sheriff Severson to comply with constitutional standards and end the ban.

“Freedom of religion is fundamental to our democracy and guaranteed by the First Amendment. It is paramount that those incarcerated in our jails and prisons have the ability to practice their religion free from government interference or proselytizing,” said Asma Kadri-Keeler, ACLU of Wisconsin staff attorney. “We appreciate Sheriff Severson fulfilling his constitutional obligation to accommodate religious beliefs of all kinds, ensuring that all religious texts will be available to those who want them. Too often, the rights of incarcerated individuals to express non-traditional spiritual beliefs are overlooked or outright ignored. We hope Waukesha can serve as a model for how correctional institutions can guarantee religious autonomy to those in their custody.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

Mentioned in This Press Release

One thought on “ACLU of Wisconsin Commends Waukesha County Sheriff for Lifting Religious Text Restrictions in Local Jail”

  1. Edward Susterich says:

    If the jail were to distribute the Koran to all inmates, I am sure many Christians would be outraged. Why is it OK for the Bible to be issued?

    The City of Milwaukee used to have a seasonal Holiday tree, but religious zealots changed it to “Chrismas” tree.

    Keep religion out of government …and keep government out of religion!

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us