Section 425.30  Accommodation of Religious Beliefs

a)         Committed persons shall be provided reasonable opportunities to pursue their religious beliefs and practices subject to concerns regarding security, safety, rehabilitation, institutional order, space, and resources.

b)         Participation in or attendance at religious activities shall be voluntary.

c)         Committed persons shall not pressure or coerce other persons to join or participate in the activities of a particular religion.

d)         Committed persons shall not engage in religious activities which may encourage violence against others or are likely to disrupt institutional safety or operations.

e)         Committed persons shall be requested to designate their religious affiliation during the orientation process.  Such designation of religious affiliation does not constitute endorsement or recognition of that religion by the Department.

f)         Committed persons may only attend the religious activities of their designated religion or non-denominational religious activities, except as provided in subsection (g) of this Section pursuant to Section 425.60.

g)         Committed persons requesting to attend a religious activity of a faith other than their designated faith shall submit their written request to the facility chaplain who will determine whether their attendance at the activity can be accommodated based on factors such as security, safety, rehabilitation, institutional order, space, and resources.

h)         Committed persons desiring to designate their religious affiliation after the orientation process or to change their designated religious affiliation shall submit the written request to the facility chaplain.  The facility chaplain may refuse to change the affiliation if it is determined that the change is being requested for other than religious reasons.  This determination may be based, among other matters, on the frequency of changes or a pattern of changing religious affiliation prior to a particular faith group's scheduled holiday or celebration.

(Source:  Added at 19 Ill. Reg. 6515, effective May 1, 1995)