Cops for Christ? Suspected Prostitutes Handcuffed and Led to Church
The double coercion here: what the sex workers do for wages wouldn’t be illegal without heavy influences from the socially conservative churches.
The women arrested in Phoenix’s twice-yearly sex-work stings are forcibly taken to Bethany Bible Church and escorted inside in handcuffs. They are then given the option to avoid criminal prosecution by participating in a sectarian program. Critics, including Americans United, have said that Project ROSE is a clear violation of the First Amendment.
Unfortunately, it is one of a growing number of programs nationwide in which church and state have teamed up in an attempt to lower crime rates, as law enforcement officials hope that a dose of old-time religion can convince criminals to change their ways. But the reality, critics say, is that such programs don’t just raise constitutional concerns - there is also little evidence to suggest that they work.
Nevertheless, the trend is expanding, with police chaplains becoming more common and correctional officials increasingly open to evangelical Christian programs to keep convicts from committing new crimes after release.
The Phoenix program is among the most blatant for its religious ties. During a sting in October 2013, Phoenix police apprehended 54 women on suspicion of prostitution. Those women were as young as 18 and as old as 58, Al Jazeera reported. They were immediately coerced into joining Project ROSE, which gives suspects a choice: go to church or go to jail.
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