TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The nation’s first faith-based prison for women opened in a Tampa detention center April 14, five months after a similar program began for men. About 300 female prisoners will be confined at the Hillsborough Correctional Institution.
Each prisoner volunteered for the transfer, and agreed to participate in a program combining vocational classes with worship. Alia Faraj, a spokeswoman for Gov. Jeb Bush said the new state prison creates “an environment that allows and encourages personal growth, self-reflection and character development.”
No state money will be used for religious instruction — an attempt to guard against potential legal challenges. Volunteers will provide religious services and materials. Any religion may be represented at the prison, and no prisoner will be required to participate in religious activities, officials said.
The women’s prison is modeled after a program that opened last year at the Lawtey Correctional Institution in north Florida. Critics are threatening legal action, saying the state is giving preferential treatment to inmates who participate in religious services. (TAB)
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