Non Violent Offenders In Alabama Town Told "Go To Jail Or To Church" As Sentence

Non violent offenders will have a choice. Either go to jail and work their arses off to pay off their fine, or attend church every Sunday for a year.
I guess if your an atheist, you won't have a choice but to go to prison:

How can they give people a choice like that? The Police Chief says the program might help people heading down the wrong path - bullcrap! If they choose jail, its on their record forever!

 

Wow, seems like an easy choice. Any moron that chooses jail deserves it.

 

This is unconstitutional.

 

Thank you. Shame the first poster couldn't see that!

Someone will sue. Its a violation of their rights.

 

Why? They have a choice. It doesn't say which church they must attend.

 

Government is sponsoring religion. The law must be followed jail or fine or both. What if he person is a jew? a muslim? a buddhist?

 

No, government is giving a choice.

 

That choice is unconstitutional.

 

How do you figure?

 

What idiot would choose jail? No this is a defacto mandate to impose religion. under the first amendment the government cannot force you to go to church. This is exactly what they are doing. forcing one to go to church. The "choice" is irrelevant.

 

Nobody is forced to go to church, they can sit in a cell. What part of that choice do you not understand?

 

You are okay with forcing atheists to attend church?

 

They don't have to attend church, they can go to jail for their non-belief.

 

If you were a Christian, would you be okay with being made to attend an Islamic Mosque because a church was not allowed?

 

Seeing as this law doesn't force such a thing I fail to see your point. Please come up with something relevant to topic at hand.

 

That is why on it's face it is unconstitutional. The police chief is trying to back track now and say that other non-religious alternatives would be used also.

 

The Christians will happily attend church because they likely already do. It isn't going to hurt them. Therefore, it is hardly punishment.

The non believers will have to choose to go to a church, to listen to talk about someone they don't believe in. If they choose jail, its on their record pemanently.

The ones being punished here are the non believers - you are really okay with punishing people simply because they don't believe in God?

 

As it stands it would force you to go to church for a year or serve time in jail.

 

The law forces non believers to go against their beliefs. I am giving you a similar situation in which you would have to choose whether to go against your own.

 

...and this is why this is retarded and unconstitutional.

i was shocked when i saw this article.

 

Doubtful, it does not at all establish a religion nor prohibit the practice of a religion. It simply allows potential inmates a choice.

 

The non-believers still broke the law, if they choose to sit in jail there is nothing at all unjust about the sentence.

 

I have yet to read even in our local papers where this police chief thinks he has the authority to sentence defendants or engage in sentence negotiation.

 

The believe also broke the law, that he gets special treatment because of his religious belief is unconstitutional.

 

They don't get special treatment, they too can choose to sit in jail.