Scranton, USA - A county agreed not to use public funds for religious activities to settle a federal lawsuit over a jailhouse program that critics said mixed faith with vocational training.
The settlement filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court ended the lawsuit over programs that had been run by The Firm Foundation at the Bradford County jail.
Lawyers for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania were among those representing six local citizens who filed suit in February 2005. The plaintiffs claimed the company's employees evangelized inmates in a former work-release program and pressured them to pray.
Bradford County admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement.
The Firm Foundation program was the only vocational training program available at the jail, and the company's arrangement with the county was unconstitutional, said Alex Luchenitser, a lawyer for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
The program started in 2002 but ended three years later because of insufficient funds, said Steven Aden, a lawyer for The Firm Foundation. The program was designed to take prisoners out of jail during the day to teach construction skills and mentor inmates about how to manage money, deal with anger and other life skills, Aden said.
Related lawsuits against the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and The Firm Foundation are still pending.