Washington D.C., Dec 4, 2007 / 10:00 am
A ruling against a long-standing prison ministry that was in danger of being barred from Iowa prisons was overturned in a federal court on Monday.
A lower court had ordered Prison Fellowship Ministries’ InnerChange Freedom Initiative to repay $1.5 million to the state because of alleged constitutional violations in its prisoner rehabilitation program. The Federal Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit overturned the lower court’s ruling.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, an inter-faith public interest law firm, represented InnerChange and Prison Fellowship in its appeal.
Becket Fund National Litigation Director Eric Rassbach called the decision "a huge victory for faith-based programs."