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! Appeals Court Probes Iowa Prison Program's Legality

In a case with potentially far-reaching implications for a growing number of religious prison programs, a
federal appeals court panel in St. Louis that included former U.S. Supreme Court Judge Sandra Day
O'Connor today heard arguments over whether a religiously-based Iowa prison program violated the First
Amendment and should repay the government money it received.

The lawsuit originated four years ago, when Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU)
sued a religiously-based prison program called InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI), its operating
company Prison Fellowship Ministries (PFM), and the Iowa officials responsible for the program's
implementation. In June 2006, Judge Robert W. Pratt of U.S. District Court for the Southern District of
Iowa found the IFI program in Iowa to be "pervasively sectarian" and that the state had committed "severe
violations" of the Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from promoting religion or
providing financial support for religious indoctrination. In an unusual move, Pratt ordered Prison
Fellowship and InnerChange to repay the state $1.5 million.

O'Connor, whose Supreme Court opinions were pivotal in deciding a number of religion-related cases,
today asked attorneys questions concerning the controversial repayment order, the financing of the
InnerChange program, and the alternatives that were available to prisoners.

Click here to read more by Roundtable Correspondent Anne Farris.

Click here to access an audio file of the oral arguments, posted by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.

NEW! Roundtable Resource Page on Faith-Based Prison Programs

Beyond Iowa, corrections officials around the country are considering developing or expanding their faith-
based prison programs as a way to reduce the rate at which ex-offenders return to jail. The Bush
administration has strongly supported such programs, as a key focus of its Faith-Based and Community
Initiative, an effort to encourage religious charities and other nonprofits to provide social services.

Among the questions about the programs is whether they are truly effective in their ultimate non-religious
goal of reducing recidivism. And some groups have charged that, even if the programs eventually are
proven to be effective, they are nonetheless illegal.

In articles, feature interviews and legal analyses, the Roundtable has looked at four major legal challenges
that could impact future faith-based prison programs, including the one against Prison Fellowship's
program in Iowa, as well as other partnerships between government and religious groups. That information
is now gathered on our new Resource Page.

Click here for the Roundtable's new Faith-Based Prisons Resource Page.

New! An Interview with Prof. Bob Wineburg on "Faith-Based Inefficiency"

Bob Wineburg is the Jefferson Pilot Excellence Professor of Social Work at the University of North
Carolina-Greensboro and the author of a book published Feb. 1 entitled, "Faith-Based Inefficiency: The
Follies of Bush's Initiatives."

Wineburg joined the UNCG faculty in 1980 and served as chairman of the Department of Social Work
from 1990 to 1994. He has written extensively about social welfare policy, including a book entitled "A
Limited Partnership: The Politics of Religion, Welfare, and Social Service" (2000) and co-authored a
second book entitled, "The Newer Deal: Social Work and Religion in Partnership" (1999). He has studied
the role of religious organizations in social service delivery since 1983.

Click here to read the interview.

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. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Justice, 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, compiled by Roundtable Correspondent Allison Sarnoff
with Lisa Montiel.

Roundtable Digest of Current Faith-Based News Stories

Mayor Blocks Move of Drug Rehab Center
WLNS (Michigan)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6021

State agency to launch faith-based adoption initiative in Lubbock
LubbockOnline.com (Texas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6022

Harcatus offers training on setting up a non-profit
New Philadelphia Times-Reporter (Pennsylvania)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6023

Seeds hold key to providing food security
The Bradenton Herald (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6024

Restoring hope through faith; Mayor looks to churches to help end homelessness
Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6025

Baptist unit, lesbian still at odds: Firing sparked lengthy lawsuit
The Courier-Journal (Kentucky)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6019

States fund antiabortion advice;
Public grants surge for the crisis centers. Some ban contraception talk.
Los Angeles Times (California)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6009

Greenhouse grows hope for homeless individuals
Murfreesboro Post (Tennessee)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6010

Salvation from the Street
The Times-Tribune (Pennsylvania)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6011

Working to curb violence via faith
The Trenton Times (New Jersey)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6012

Identity search: to be Muslim in America
Denver Post (Colorado)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6013

Community spirit thrives after storm Our position:
Neighbors offered a helping hand when it was needed most.
Orlando Sentinel (Florida)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6014

Abstinence group expanding reach;
Silver Ring Thing hopes high-tech show will appeal to black community
The State (Columbia, South Carolina)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6015

DOC plans programs to build character, faith
Tulsa World (Oklahoma)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6016

Juvenile Intervention program breaks ground on multi-million dollar renovation
WMC-TV (Tennessee)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6017

Single-Faith Clubs Allowed At UGA
The Augusta Chronicle (Georgia)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6020

Faith-Based Program Investigations
Baltimore Jewish Times (Maryland)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6028

Disaster planning in Bklyn
Bay News (New York)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6026

Lawmakers locking in prison policy changes
Austin American-Statesman (Texas)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6018

Transitional Home Helps Stop Revolving Door
WLOX-TV (Mississippi)

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/article.cfm?id=6027

Weekly Opinion Roundup - 2/13/2006
Various Sources

http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/news/news_opinion_2_13_07.cfm