Convicted Sex Offender Raises Religious Objections To Electronic Monitoring

In Davis City, Iowa, a state trial judge faces an unusual problem of religious accommodation. According to today's Des Moines Register, Scott Smith was ordered, under Iowa's sex offender registry law, to wear an electronic monitor as a condition of his probation after he served 210 days on work release. But Smith says this will infringe on his religious beliefs. Smith was a leader in the Brotherhood of Christ when he was charged in 2003 with sexual abuse and indecent contact with two teenage girls. Brotherhood of Christ members, including Smith's wife and children, live in a largely self-sufficient Iowa community that prohibits the use of electricity, claiming that using electricity in daily life can cause people to disobey God. Smith lives in a home without electricity, telephone or running water on land adjacent to church property. His family visits him there. Brotherhood of Christ leader, Ron Livingston, said the court-ordered electronic monitor in the home could adversely influence Smith's children and take away from the teachings of the community. Livingston testified that Smith has been told he might be allowed back into the fold if he follows its religious requirements.