Detroit, USA - A Roman Catholic man who pleaded guilty to drug possession and chose treatment instead of prison says his religious freedoms were violated when a judge sent him to a Pentecostal-run program, then put him in jail when he quit.
Joseph Hanas says the staff told him his religion was "witchcraft" and took away his rosary beads, and he told the judge he wanted out - a decision he says landed him in jail.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan asked a federal judge Tuesday to overturn Hanas' conviction, saying he had been punished for his religious beliefs. The ACLU says the case illustrates the pitfalls of government partnerships with faith-based programs.
Genesee County Circuit Judge Robert Ransom, who sent Hanas to the program and has since retired, said participation was voluntary.
But Michael J. Steinberg, the Michigan ACLU's legal director, said, "It is a case that elected officials and all people in this country who are concerned about religious freedom should pay attention to before allowing religious entities to perform functions of the state."
Hanas, now 23, came before Ransom on a charge of marijuana possession in February 2001. He pleaded guilty and the judge referred him to a yearlong program at the Pentecostal-run Inner City Christian Outreach Center. Hanas' lawyers say he was given no other treatment options.
The Rev. Dwight Rottiers, who runs Inner City in Flint, denied Hanas' claims. After Hanas dropped out of Inner city, Ransom sentenced him to six months in jail because Hanas said he did not want to attend another religious program. The only free programs available were faith-based.