An update from the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy, an independent research project
of the Rockefeller Institute of Government. The public policy research arm of the State University of New York.

New! Four Years After Opening, Faith-Based Prisons' Success Uncertain

Choosing a Christian holiday to launch a pioneering initiative, the State of Florida on Christmas Eve
2003 opened the nation's first prison exclusively dedicated to a faith-based and character-building
approach to inmate rehabilitation. Four months later it opened a women's faith-based prison and, in
another two years, opened another men's faith-based prison. Now almost four years later, researchers
are still conducting studies of the prisons' effectiveness and the state is awaiting more conclusive
results -- in addition to more money -before acting on recommendations to open more.

A state task force recommended last year that the state open six additional faith- and character-based
prisons by the end of 2008, but the state's Secretary of Corrections said at the time that he did not
support creating more such institutions in that timeframe without further evidence of the institutions'
effectiveness. The state conducts its own research on the progress of the inmates at these prisons, and
department officials are also currently interested in a study of two Florida faith-based prisons released last
month by the Urban Institute, a Washington-D.C. based research facility.

Click here to read more by Roundtable Correspondent Anne Farris.

The Bush Administration has strongly supported faith-based programs in prisons and so-called re-entry
programs to help ex-offenders return to their communities, as part of the federal Faith-Based and
Community Initiative. In fact, the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives is this week -on Nov. 27-28 -
partnering with faith-based centers within the federal departments of Justice and Labor to host a conference
in Los Angeles on prisoner reentry, a topic it has highlighted through previous events, as well. The Roundtable
on Religion and Social Welfare Policy has examined both in-prison and re-entry programs, which have been
the source of controversy over their effectiveness compared to secular programs and their potential to violate
the constitutional protections separating church and state, through news articles and legal analyses over
several years. Click on the links below to review some of our resources on the topic.

Click here for the Roundtable's Resource Page on Faith-Based Prison Programs, which includes
general information on the trend toward establishing these programs, as well as detailed information on
four lawsuits that have challenged such programs.

New! Top Justices Decline Case Involving Faith-Based Home for
Troubled Teens

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday (November 26) declined to hear a case involving the state of
Michigan's decision to stop placing abused, neglected and delinquent children in a faith-based residence
called Teen Ranch, after the state determined that the home coerced children to participate in religious
activities. Teen Ranch had sued Michigan to get reinstated as a state-approved provider. Supporters
claimed the program was funded by voucher-type financing, which courts have upheld as constitutional,
even when organizations that provide overtly religious programming are among those that receive the
government-funded vouchers. But for such programs to be legal, voucher recipients must be able to exercise
"genuine private choice" among religious and secular providers, courts have held. Such choice was lacking
in this arrangement, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals found in January, in part because the state was
responsible for selecting children's placements. In addition, the appeals court ruled that even if Teen
Ranch qualified as a provider under a system that relied on true beneficiary choice, the state retains the
discretion to deny government funding to programs with religious content.

In its petition to the nation's top justices, lawyers for Teen Ranch said the appeals court was incorrect in
its reliance on a 2003 Supreme Court ruling that upheld the state of Washington's right to exclude theology
students from a state scholarship program. The Supreme Court does not give reasons for declining cases.

The appeals court's decision ranks among the most significant legal opinions of the year affecting government
partnerships with faith-based social service providers, according to the Roundtable's legal experts. George
Washington University Law Professors Ira C. Lupu and Robert W. Tuttle first analyzed the decision in
February, and will highlight it in their 2007 State of the Law report, to be released at the Roundtable's Dec. 5
conference (see next item).

Register Now! Roundtable Conference Features Latest on Faith-Based
Social Services

At the Roundtable's annual conference, noted political scientist John Green of the University of Akron
will report new findings from a national survey on the services provided by congregations and faith-based
organizations, as well as on their leaders' awareness and interest in participating in public programs to
support or extend such activities. Survey results will also include new findings on administrative practices
and organizational characteristics among congregations and faith-based organizations, with regard to their
readiness to receive and account for public funds in the form of government contracts or grants.

And the Roundtable's highly respected legal experts - Law Professors Ira C. Lupu and Robert W. Tuttle of
George Washington University - will give a thorough update on the year's most significant legal events
affecting government partnerships with religious charities. Topping their list will be the implications of the
U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation. And they'll also talk about
government chaplaincies, legislative earmarks to religious groups, and the use of tax money to renovate
religious structures. As close observers of the federal Faith-Based and Community Initiative for the past
six years, Lupu and Tuttle are able to provide context for the latest developments and offer insights into
what to watch for next.

If you want to keep up on the latest news on faith-based social services, you won't want to miss this
year's conference, which will be held Wednesday, December 5, in Washington D.C. The complete
program will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the National Press Club at 529 14th St. NW.

Register now! The conference is free, but you must register to attend.

Click here for an agenda.

Click here to submit your online registration.

Weekly Digest of Federal Grants with Faith-Based and Community
Organization Eligibility

The grant opportunities this week for community and faith-based organizations are through programs
administered by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, State, and the
U.S. Agency for International Development.

Potential applicants should be aware that some grant programs require specific technical expertise,
or experience with particular foreign countries.

Click here for the grant digest.

Roundtable Digest of Current Faith-Based News Stories

Local voters react to church call for faith-based decisions at polls
DailyIllini.com

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7353

Ministry-Based Daycares Face New Push for Tighter Regulations
WSBT News1

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7357

Lawmaker plans anti-discrimination bill
NewsOK.com

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7358

State Senate prayer under fire
themorningcall.com

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7359

Schools struggle to celebrate the season
Associated Press (Montpelier)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7360

Politics of Race and Religion; Moral Issues Leave Black Evangelicals Torn Between Parties
The Washington Post

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7354

Community Group Is Short Of Space; Katrina relief keeps Trinity busy
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7355

Religious safeguard bills draw resistance
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7345

Justices decline to hear appeal from Mich. faith-based program for troubled youths
The Associated Press

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7346

Homeless site won't be shelter
The Wichita Eagle (Kansas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7337

New prison chapel has local blessing; Program helps prevent recidivism in inmates
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7342

Massive Olathe retirement community welcomes first residents
The Kansas City Star

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7338

Anti-Hunger Groups Hoping For Action on Stalled Farm Bill
The Washington Post

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7356

Yonkers anti-gang initiative helps men find jobs
The Journal News (Westchester County, New York)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7339

Residents Force Martin To Revisit Rehab House Issue
Palm Beach Post (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7334

Homeless community shrinks when 88 are given places to live; Tired of waiting, Unity pays tab
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7335

500 enjoy thanksgiving dinner at rescue mission A hot meal, love
and friends Volunteers and donors make it all possible
Ventura County Star (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7343

Faithful Feeding
Courier News (Bridgewater, New Jersey)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7340

Saying grace for a chance
San Antonio Express-News

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7341

Grant will go toward educating families to prevent child abuse
The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7344

Housing act's allies rally at Vitter's Metairie office; Bill stalls as senator offers different plan
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7336

Loudoun To Run Daytime Shelter; Action Keeps Drop-In Center In Leesburg
The Washington Post

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7347

'Healthy Kids' may be in danger despite success
Chico Enterprise-Record (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7348

Mayor Fenty Announces Initiative To Target Crime Through Focused Neighborhood Improvement Effort
US States News

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=7351

Weekly Opinion Roundup - 11/27/2007
The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/news_opinion_11_27_07.cfm