A U.S. district judge heard arguments Tuesday about whether a South Carolina jail's policy banning all publications except the Bible should be shelved.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Berkeley County jail in October, arguing jail authorities are violating inmates' constitutional rights.
Since then, an attorney for the jail has said inmates are allowed non-Christian religious texts as long as the books are soft-sided and meet other physical requirements, such as the absence of staples.
In Horry County, administrators at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center say allowing inmates to read books and participate in programs is useful in helping them return to society as productive citizens, though that's often a difficult message to sell to the public.
"We're not here coddling inmates," said chaplain Eddie Hill, who directs inmate programs and services at the jail. "We're trying to help them, and again if we can help them be successful when they get out, and they don't reoffend, then they're - the people that are having an issue with it - aren't having to pay $50 a day to house an inmate."
Hill said inmate programs are also an aid to the jail staff. An inmate who's allowed to read a book, participate in a program or go to an anger management class is an inmate who's much easier to manage, he said.
"They're less likely to get into fights, they're less likely to argue with officers, and ultimately they're less likely to reoffend, and be reincarcerated."
Hill said the J. Reuben Long facility offers a wide gamut of programs to inmates, including religious programming in four different faiths, recovery courses for inmates with addictions, educational programs to help inmates get their high school diploma or GED, and re-entry programs to help them become reintegrated into society.
Jail administrator Tom Fox said all of America has been in a "crime and justice" era for the past 30 years, a period of increasingly stiffer sentences for drug and gang offenders. He said now it's time to move on to the next step.
"We're going back into the rehabilitation mode, to try to identify the root causes and address the anti-social behavior and try to keep them out of jail."
Fox said the evidence that the programs are working to reduce recidivism is the lower crime rate and lower jail population. Two years ago, the Horry County facility held 850 inmates. Today, it's 575.
Fox said there will always be the five percent of inmates who aren't suited for society and deserve to be locked up. But that doesn't work for all inmates.
"It's not cost effective and it's just not right," Fox said. "We can't continue to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. We need to change how we do things."
Hill said hearing the success stories of inmates who get off drugs, get an education and successfully make the transition to society as productive citizens is incredibly rewarding.
"If I could bottle that and give it to the public, they'd understand that these programs are invaluable."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
