Maine State Prison Spells ‘No’ W-i-t-c-h
United Press International
THOMASTON, Me. —
Maine State Prison will not pay $1,300 for a spiritual adviser to attend to inmates who practice Wicca, which officials claim is similar to witchcraft, the warden said Monday.
David Chamberlain, an inmate who heads the 18-member prison coven, said prison officials are violating his right to practice his faith. But Warden Martin Magnussen said the $1,300 fee charged by a priestess from Ohio goes beyond the prison’s budget.
“I’m not aware of any time that we’ve paid for that type of outsider for a religious service,” Magnussen said.
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