In Edmondson v. Curry, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30416 (D. NH, April 3, 2006), a federal Magistrate Judge in New Hampshire concluded that complaints of a New Hampshire State Prison inmate, William Edmondson, about the religious nature of the prison’s 12-step sex offender program (SOP) had merit, but that there was no need to issue an injunction since Edmondson was not currently in the program.
While public prayer is not a part of the SOP, inmates post a daily quote—often from a religious text-- in a public area for use by all the participants in the program. The judge concluded that “there is no substantive difference between posting a scriptural quote on a public board and hanging a crucifix on the wall.” He also found that the state, through its management of the program, was responsible for the quotes being posted. He found that the Establishment Clause was violated by subjecting inmates to quotes from a particular religious tradition as part of a state-run program.
