Pagan Chaplain Patrick McCollum on the Pew Forum Religion in Prisons Survey

March 24, 2012 By
Patrick McCollum

[Yesterday, I posted some initial analysis and reaction to the new Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life's 50-state survey of prison chaplains. Today, I'd like to share with you the thoughts of Patrick McCollum. Patrick has been working as a Pagan chaplain and activist for well over twenty years. He was one of the founding members of the Lady Liberty League, and has been involved in numerous legal struggles involving modern Pagans. In 2008, he testified before the US Commission on Civil … [Read more...]

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What the New Pew Forum Survey Tells Us About Pagan Religions in U.S. Prisons

March 23, 2012 By
chaplains-chp4-5

Yesterday the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released the findings of a 50-state survey of prison chaplains.  The survey, which was endorsed by the American Correctional Chaplains Association, interviewed 730 prison chaplains, and has a lot of interesting things to say about religion in the American prison system. At first glance, there are no major bombshell revelations to drive the news cycle, leading to initial headlines like "a lot of religion goes on behind bars." However, if you … [Read more...]

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Unleash the Hounds! (Off to the AAR Annual Meeting Edition)

November 18, 2011 By

Welcome to The Wild Hunt's semi-regular round-up of news and opinion, unleash the hounds. As you read this I'll be on my way to San Francisco, California to attend the American Academy of Religion's Annual Meeting. The AAR is the world’s largest association of academics who research or teach topics related to religion, and their annual meeting has become a vital place to hear about the latest scholarship in the field of Pagan Studies (and just about every other religious and philosophical … [Read more...]

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Update: Wiccan Chaplain Accused in Bizarre Hostage Scheme

October 23, 2011 By

Back in September, newswires and blogs reported on the case of Jamyi J. Witch, a Wiccan chaplain at Oshkosh Correctional Institution who is accused of sexually assaulting an inmate, illegally transporting drugs, and hatching a fake hostage scheme to procure a transfer for her and an inmate. The twist? Jamyi Witch is Wisconsin's first Pagan prison chaplain. "In December 2001, Scott Walker, then a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and chair of the Assembly Committee on … [Read more...]

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