By Jamie Satterfield
News Sentinel
For a taste of what's on the plate for Tennessee's prison chaplains, mix religion and racism, boil up a batch of prisoner rights versus institutional security, and toss in a Monroe County killer bent on forcing his guards to recognize his white supremacist-based faith.
The plight of prison chaplains is revealed in an e-mail filed in a federal lawsuit brought by convicted killer Anthony Hayes against state Department of Correction officials, including those chaplains, over the labeling of his Christian Identity faith as a "security threat group."
"I continue to receive requests from chaplains and wardens concerning Christian Identity," DOC staffer Ron Turner wrote in the November 2007 e-mail. "This morning Chaplain (Randall) Runions at (South Central Correctional Facility) faxed two grievances recently filed against him. One grievance is from CI inmates and the other is from Rastafarian inmates, both wishing to meet for group worship services."
The U.S. Supreme Court has offered up some guidance for prison officials grappling with what constitutes religion and how to balance prisoners' rights to practice their claimed religions with prison security.
In the high court's view, prison security is "a compelling state interest," and prison officials are best suited to determine which religions pose a risk to security.
It was that decision, among others, that U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan cited when he finally tossed out Hayes' lawsuit last month.
"With respect to the prison officials' findings that the Christian Identity faith materials involved security threat group activity, the court will defer to the professional judgment of the prison officials," Varlan wrote. "Prisoners have a First Amendment right to practice their religious beliefs. This right is not unlimited, however."