Murderer wins right to Wiccan religious items behind bars

[Thom Little]

A convicted murderer who practices the Wiccan religion won the right Thursday to receive religious books and items while behind bars.

The state Department of Corrections settled a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey on behalf of Patrick Pantusco, who was convicted of murder, aggravated assault and other offenses in Bergen County in 1998, and sent to East Jersey State Prison at Avenel.

.......

Pantusco, 30, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Newark in 2003 after prison officials denied his request for religious books and items such as beads and scented oils, a small bell and flute, ritual powder and a necklace, said Edward Barocas, the ACLU's legal director.

"They were comparable to rosary beads or Muslim prayer oils," he said. "Everything he asked for had a similar counterpart with the Christian and Muslim religions that was allowed into the prison."


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NJ_INMATE_RELIGIOUS_MATERIALS_NJOL-?SITE=VARIT&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-12-08-17-27-07

[Imagine My Surprise]

1. I am VERY glad to hear this...thanks for sharing

[High Plains]

2. Nice framing on this story...

The headline could just as easily have been:

"New Jersey Ordered Not to Practice Religious Discrimination in Prisons"

But--ooh!--murderers and--ooh!--Wicca, that's so much snappier.

[KitchenWitch]

3. Great news!