ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A Christian prison program that has drawn criticism will continue in Minnesota prisons, but without state funds after the Department of Corrections ended a $100,000 yearly subsidy.
Corrections officials said Thursday that they won't pay the InnerChange Freedom Initiative this year after Corrections Commissioner Joan Fabian learned that the program wasn't charging the state of Texas.
"I found out after we negotiated the second (two-year) contract that Texas wasn't paying at all," Fabian said. "And just the day before yesterday, one of the board members called and said yes, it would be OK if we didn't pay them any more, either."
The InnerChange program uses Christian teachings to prepare inmates for life outside prison. It operates in several states and is similar to a program that was halted by a federal judge in Iowa last year for violating the separation of church and state.
Minnesota prison officials defend the program, saying it helps keep offenders from committing new crimes after they serve their time.
The state has paid InnerChange more than $400,000 since 2002.
The program has drawn criticism from Steve Hokonson, who heads religious programming at the Corrections Department.
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