Bureau of Prisons Says Objecting Chaplains Need Not Carry Pepper Spray

A Liberty Counsel press release today reports that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons has granted accommodation requests from prison chaplains who object on religious grounds to carrying pepper spray as a potential defense in emergency situations.  Various prison Chaplains were told to carry the spray after enactment of the Eric Williams Correctional Officer Protection Act of 2015.  Liberty Counsel sent a letter in October seeking a religious accommodation and religious exemption for chaplains.

Jewish Prison Chaplaincy In Canada Featured

Canadian Jewish News today carries an in-depth cover story on Jewish prison chaplaincy in Canada.  It focuses particularly on the work of Rabbi Zushe Silberstein, head of Chabad Chabanel in Montreal.  Correctional Service Canada says there are 177 inmates in Canadian prisons who identify as Jewish.