In the U.S. we don't discriminate against others because of their religion. And the U.S. Supreme Court extended that doctrine to prison death chamber by staying an execution in Texas because the prison system couldn't supply a Buddhist chaplain to be in the execution room with the condemned prisoner.
So the TDCJ had a choice -- supply a Buddhist chaplain or ban all chaplains. Here's thehill.com: Texas to bar all chaplains from execution chambers:
The high court ruled that this constituted religious discrimination and gave the state the option of allowing chaplains of all religions or banning them from the chamber entirely.
Under new procedures issued Tuesday, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) says clerics may "observe the execution only from the witness rooms,” effective immediately, according to the Tribune.
"TDCJ Chaplain(s) will continue to be available to an offender until they are transferred to the execution chamber. The chaplain will also be present in the viewing room if requested," TDCJ spokesman Jeremy Desel told the Tribune.
Sounds like a reasonable response.
Death row conversions probably arouse skepticism, but it also seems likely a person who knows he/she is about to die might seek solace in religion. And there's no reason to deny that to a prisoner. Having a chaplain in the execution room, however, shouldn't make that much difference.
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2:44 PM 4/5/2019
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