Providing prisoners with holiday trimmings, authorities say, is a balance of safety, religious freedom and momentarily easing the fact that they are imprisoned. Take a NEWS POLL.
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Local prisons have some holiday offerings for inmates who are spending the season behind bars.
Some people won’t be home for Christmas because they'll be behind bars.
But local prisons aren’t without some seasonal perks. Providing prisoners with holiday trimmings, authorities say, is a balance of safety, religious freedom and momentarily easing the fact that they are imprisoned.
“This is a very depressing time,” said Arnold Matos, director
of corrections at
Throughout the holiday season, the prison hosts Bible study groups and some musical performances by local church groups for the inmates, Matos said. Inmates are provided a special meal on Christmas that is “above and beyond” the usual fare, he said. Families can also purchase care packages for inmates.
The prison reaches out to other congregations at the request
of inmates who have specific holiday or religious needs, Matos said. He said that the
prison does not allow candles into the facility, for instance, to celebrate Hanukkah.
Safety is paramount when it comes to implementing holiday
festivities, said New Jersey Department of Corrections spokesman Matthew Schuman.
The Department of Corrections recently launched a pilot program that allows department-approved menorahs for the eight days of Hanukkah. The prisons each designated a room where a staff member or religious volunteer lit candles as inmates observed, Schuman said
“The idea is that you try to accommodate with the religious holidays, as long as it doesn't compromise the safety," he said. "There's some obvious concern about placing fire in an inmate's hands.”
In addition to this trial program, the department has uniform policies for other holidays such as Ramadan. During the monthlong fast, prisons are required to provide Muslim inmates with pre- and post-dawn meals, Schuman said. Facilities also arrange daily gatherings for community prayer, Quran readings and breakfast of the fast.
About 150 inmates are expected to spend Christmas in
the
A nondenominational service will be held on Christmas with a special dinner featuring turkey, stuffing, rolls and ice cream, Brothers said.
"It’s more of an upgrade than they usually get," he said. "There's not much we can do.”
Brothers said the holiday meal is a tradition. Providing some semblance of holiday celebration to inmates is part of a prison's efforts to help people return to society, Matos said.
"They're people," he said. "We believe that no
human is disposable. We believe that we have a building of people that are not
necessarily bad people. We want to make them better citizens."