A Florida circuit court has dismissed an eight-year lawsuit filed by an atheist group that sought to stop state funding to two faith-based prison ministries under a government programme that rehabilitates former prisoners from drug and alcohol addiction.
The Center for Inquiry originally filed the lawsuit in 2007 against the Florida Department of Corrections to stop its contracts with Lamb of God Ministries and Prisoners of Christ Ministry, saying it violated Florida Constitution's "No Aid" provision which states that "no revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution."
"Lamb of God and Prisoners of Christ both openly describe themselves as Christian ministries, and engage in explicitly sectarian religious practices," according to the Center's Ronald Lindsay, the Christian News Network reported. "The people of Florida shouldn't have their tax dollars used for religious purposes."
It filed another lawsuit last year in its attempt to permanently cut off Florida's funding to the two organisations.
The lawsuit accused the two organisations of "actively advancing religion within their faith-based recovery programs."
"Although participation in the most prominent religious portions of the programs—the prayer meetings—is ostensibly voluntary (though strongly encouraged), enrollees are nevertheless required to participate in programs built around Christian faith," it said.
In its decision on Wednesday, the Circuit Court of Leon County, Florida, dismissed the lawsuit, saying the rehabilitation programmes offered by the two ministries are not "significantly sectarian."
"Plaintiffs have submitted no evidence that State funds are expended on religious activities or content," the court ruled. "Instead, the record shows that the State funds are intended to cover the amount spent on housing, utilities, and insurance—though the funds do not quite cover all of those costs. Further, to the extent any religious content is provided at all, that content is wholly optional for the Program participants."
The court added that "under the undisputed facts of this case, based on eight years of litigation and a lengthy record, Plaintiffs have not demonstrated that state funds are being unconstitutionally used."
Becket Fund, which represented the defendants, hailed the decision, saying, "The Court was right to reject a discriminatory attempt to punish successful prisoner ministries simply because they were run by religiously-inspired people."
"It's a pity that the ministries and the men they serve had to wait on pins and needles for nearly a decade because an activist group—who had no interest in helping prisoners or providing alternatives—had nothing better to do than try to bully a successful program out of existence," said Becket Fund's Lori Windham on Thursday.
