Following are updates on some of the issues that AACA is currently addressing:
Re our potential partnering with ACA on certification of correctional chaplains, we have been dialoging with the ACA Professional Development team about concerns raised by the ACA Professional Certification board over certain details of this collaboration. Certification Committee Chairman Larry Coleman has been devoting a tremendous amount of time and energy to this project and his dedication is greatly appreciated.
We are joining in an amicus brief in support of the U.S. Solicitor General's effort to have the constitutionality of RLUIPA upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. David Petron of Sidley, Austin, Brown and Wood is writing the brief with the assistance of Derek Gaubutz of the Becket Fund. [NOTE: Links to further information on this case and RLUIPA can be found on the home page of the ACCA website.]
We were recently invited to participate in a special private dialogue with top scholars from the American Academy of Religion (and Society of Biblical Literature). AAR is looking to form a partnership with people responsible for religious practice in corrections. Having met with success in an initial discussions with the FBI, they are now seeking ways to help develop public policy and provide up-to-date information on a variety of faith traditions. We are hoping that this will become a regular component of AAR's annual convention and were advised that AAR scholars would be available to us for regional conferences and other trainings.
We have been serving as a resource for various news media - such as the Colorado Independent newspaper which is about to publish an in-depth investigative report on religious programs in Colorado state prisons that will focus on the CDOC's so-called "volunteer" chaplains and extensive problems with 'minority' faith groups.
We are involved in early work on proposed legislation being initiated by Congressman Nadler, D-NY, that would require all correctional facilities accepting federal funding to adhere to a standard of one chaplain per 500 inmates.
As we are a membership driven organization, please help us recruit new members among your own colleagues - and let's all continue to promote
