Michigan Prisons Offer Wiccan Services

An inmate currently serving a lengthily sentence for murder in a Michigan prison has filed a lawsuit against the state because he claims they did not permitted hime to take part in Wiccan services while in toplock.

Reports indicate that 36-year-old Mario Sentelle Cavin, who is serving between 37 and 62 years for second degree murder, is seeking damages of $12,000 in a lawsuit against the state for violating the U.S. Constitution and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

The prisoner is complaining that while on lockdown for misconduct, he was not allowed to participate in Wiccan ceremonies that are only offered by the Department of Corrections eight times per year.

However, the rules of the Chippewa Correctional Facility, where Cavin is doing his time, prohibits any prisoner from attending religious services while on toplock. The lawsuit states that inmates are permitted to attend school and receive library privileges while on toplock, so “why are religious service any different?”

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this story is that the Michigan Department of Corrections actually provides Wiccan services for inmates. Not that they shouldn’t, but we just find it to be an odd amenity to provide for prisoners. Under this concept, the prison system should also be forced to offer satanic church.