Pagan prisoners allowed to keep twigs in cells
http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3891
http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=4261 inmates keep twigs in their cells…to use as wands.
Officers have been told to allow prisoners to collect and decorate twigs.
It is the latest in a series of rulings to protect convicts’ rights and ensure equality among different faiths.
Followers of other faiths are allowed items such as a prayer mat to allow them to worship.
The policy regarding pagans was announced by Justice Reform Minister Maria Eagle in a parliamentary answer.
She said: “Prison service policy is to enable prisoners of different faith traditions, including paganism, to practise their religion.”Religious artefacts are allowed for relevant faiths within the constraints of good order and discipline.”
From a reader: Why shouldn’t indigenous people of the UK be given the same rights to practice what they believe to be their indigenous religion, when prisons have banned pork for fear of offending Muslim prisoners, and the Cross of St. George is even verboten?