Sacramento Bee, Saturday, April 17: "Judge backs Redding atheist who balked at religious anti-drug program"
"Barry A. Hazle Jr. served a year in prison on a drug charge. After he got out, his parole agent sent him back for being an atheist."
Wel-l-l-l... sort of. What he got sent back for was his "passive/aggressive disruption" of the rehab program and his constant reiterations of his objections to it, including "presenting Crofoot (his parole officer) with a written appeal on April 3, 2007." The folks who ran the program also sent the parole officer a report that said, "been disruptive, though in a congenial way."
Crofoot got tired of it and..."called Hazle out of an Empire treatment class, arrested him on a parole violation for not participating in the very program he was attending, and booked him into the Shasta County jail."Â Hazle was then returned to prison, where he spent another three months, and finally filed an appeal in federal court.
The State argued that Hazle had actually been returned to jail for being disruptive, but Judge Burrell was having none of it. "Instead, the judge found that Hazle's forced participation in the program ran "afoul of the prohibition against the state's favoring religion in general over non-religion" and violated the rights guaranteed him by the Constitution." {emphasis mine)
In other words, EVERYBODY'S right to freedom FROM religion has to be respected... even prisoners'. In my (NEVER humble) opinion, we need to STOP this self-righteous, sanctimonious insistence on tossing somebody's god at every problem, and getting pissed when people object.
Rehab doesn't depend on a "higher power" any more than winning a football game does. It may be helpful for believers, but for the rest of us, it's just a distraction. In fact, I've read that THE MOST DIFFICULT chemical dependency to kick is nicotine, and I managed to kick THAT without a "higher power." People oughta be able to kick lesser addictions without one as well if they prefer.
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Comments: 42
The same old BS the church has always done, lucky he wasn't burned as a heretic!
I agree, the higher power is the strength within yourself, not someone else's reality, or delusion.
The whole AA thing, to me, seems rather cultish as well, they make you join hands and do the AA prayer and it makes one have to laugh, like someone won't go right out and drink. I quit a 2 pack a day ciggie habit in three days, no gum, no patches, I put the free-base pipe down and bought a horse, never to use again. and the beat goes on.
I think that's the point, and it's easier to get the basic importance of respecting a person's beliefs or lack thereof across if we manage to do the same with others' beliefs. If we turn such cases into a "your worldview is wrong and mine is right" shouting match, we're all back in the ring, with nothing learned or solved, and there will be many more people like Mr. Hazle who get the short end of someone's ideological stick.
Thank you for your submission to:
"CONSPIRACY THEORIES" Your post is FEATURED!
It's the "lack thereof" that never gets respected.
I never referred my clients to AA!
Do you drink. . .
Once a year
Once a month
Once a week
Never
It seems never was the only correct answer!!!
yeah, that sounds about right.
This is not rocket science. But of course, for religious folk, there is no discussing the non-existence of a higher power. The attitude tends to be, stop resisting, you will be assimilated.....
Too many appointed officials are hiding behind the guise of religion and giving true seekers in faith a bad name. The state has NO BUSINESS mandating ANYONE to a religiously run organization.
Nor do the voters have a right to appove Measure I to support a council policy allowing sectarian prayers at government meetings in the city of Lancaster, CA. What part of Church and State separation don't THESE people under stand?
True Christians know what the bible says;
Matt.6
[5] And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Great post to ponder Chuck!
Thanks for posting this to 4 US, World News & Opinions.
The Toy Box
Programs based on spirituality only work for those of that spirituality, and when they work, it's a psychological thing. Spirituality is psychological, as are all relationships! If the relationship isn't there, then the program isn't for that person. DUH!
Things like this are why I frequently refer to the system in question as the injustice system instead of the justice system.
*wanders off to bang head against wall*
Rehab programs are part of plea bargains, parolle agreements, etc. and must be signed onto by the "offender". While he may not have felt he had many other choices, he did sign on to this.
The folks who ran the program also sent the parole officer a report that said, "been disruptive, though in a congenial way." Note that it was the parolle officer that had him arrested and returned to jail. Parolle officers have some latitude, including a demand of respect for the program someone signs onto and its constraints.
If the parolle literally refused to rehabilitate himself because of religious differences, he needed to apply to be transfered to a different program. If he made it impossible for other participants to pursue their rehab, it is the right of the rehab personnel and/or the parolle officer to remove him from that environment for the benefit of the majority and, if jail was the only alternative for completing his sentance, that is appropriate. If he "congenially" disagreed with the content he was given, but did not disrupt any more than any other rehab participant, then he may have been treated unfairly. The judge knows whether the parolle officer stepped over the line.
One benefit of faith-based organizations providing rehab services is that it strengthens the faith of some. One disadvantage is that there will likely be some disagreements on issues of import, be they faith or something else.
Apparently
1) While he may not have felt he had many other choices, he did sign on to this... "As a condition of his release, Hazle was ordered to attend a 90-day, inpatient drug treatment program. He agreed to the program but even before his release told prison officials he wanted to be sent to a "treatment facility that did not contain religious components," federal court papers state.
Instead, he was assigned to the Empire Recovery Center in Redding, a 12-step program pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous and featuring a strong religious overtone, utilizing references to God and "a higher power." "
2)If the parolee literally refused to rehabilitate himself because of religious differences, he needed to apply to be transferred to a different program... "When Hazle asked to be moved to a program that was not faith-based, he was told – wrongly, as it turned out – there was none in Northern California."
Then there was this:
"Three days later, according to court papers, Empire workers told the parole agent that Hazle had "been disruptive, though in a congenial way." "
A complaint like that is not a minor thing. You don't complain to a parolee's parole officer unless the plan is to get him reprimanded in some manner.
Part of being an adult is putting up with some things we don't particularly like. This guy was unwilling to live up to his parolle terms because he didn't like his assignment. He could have withdrawn voluntarily. He didn't. He has a personal responsiblity, too.
There was no reason for him to withdraw, and doing so would have been a violation of his parole terms. Otherwise, his parole officer wouldn't have been able to arrest him for non-participation.
Before passing judgment on the guy, you might want to wait and find out exactly what was the nature of his congenial manner of disruption. It may be that he simply refused to bow his head and pray.
I admire your restraint there... using 'the rest of us' in place of 'sane people'.