It is a well-known fact that a significant portion of the population of the State of Utah is affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That's what three inmates in the the Utah prison system tried to used to their advantage in a recent lawsuit against the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole. Three convicted sex offenders filed individual suits alleging that the parole board gave preferentialtreatment to sex offenders that were members of the LDS Church. The cases were consolidated before a district judge.
Last Friday, U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell rejected the inmates' arguments, stating: "The uncontroverted affidavits of each board member attest that religious affiliation or participation is not considered in making parole decisions. There is also no evidence that religion was a significant factor in the board's decisions regarding Plaintiffs."
We would hope that members of the Utah parole board, if they were indeed members of the LDS Church, would have the professionalism and ability to consider individual inmate circumstances without religious affiliation coloring their judgment. Opportunistic lawsuits by inmates are legendary, but exploiting the local prevailing religious beliefs to escape prison time is particularly undesirable and would set bad precedent.
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