Hundreds Of Pagan Criminals Have Given A Day Off Prison Work To Celebrate Halloween

Taken from the Daily Mail, 31st October 2006
by JAMES SLACK

The convicts, who included Devil worshippers and Satanists, were spared duties all day - despite only celebrating the start of the Celtic New Year during the evening.

The decision was described as farcical 'political correctness' at a time when the Prison Service is in the middle of an overcrowding crisis. Home Secretary John Reid was accused of 'fiddling while Rome burns' over the measure.

The 282 Pagans in jails in England and Wales were allowed to use rune stones, flexible twigs and hoodless robes to mark the festival.

The step was taken to protect the Prison Service from being sued for discriminating against the religion while allowing other inmates time-off to mark their own religious celebrations.
Christian prisoners are allowed three days off on Good Friday, Easter Day and Christmas Day.

Muslims are entitled to the most time off - 26 days to pray, including the fast of Ramadan. Buddhists get three days, Hindus ten and Jews seven.

But Brian Caton, general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, said: "It does seem once again the Prison Service is fiddling while Rome burns. With everything that is going on, and a huge prison population, the Prison Service decides to be pink and fluffy with all kinds of gifts to prisoners."

He added: "Pagans celebrate this in the evening. They do not celebrate during the day. Again, I think it is a little bit of political correctness gone wrong. They do not talk to pagans about what they prefer."

Home Office documents reveal that Pagans can choose a day off work on two dates from eight of their festivals each year.

These include the Spring Equinox on March 20, the Midsummer Solstice on June 21 and Hallowe'en the Samhain, or Summer's End, as it was known in Celtic times on October 31.

Cerridwen Connelly, a spokesman for Druids, said the Home Office had made the right decision. Mrs Connelly, known as 'dragon oak', added: "The main issue in this country today is getting more religious tolerance.

"We can't say it is OK for Muslims and Hindus but Pagans are second-class citizens. It has to be done fairly and this is one way of doing it."

Home Office guidelines say the measures are crucial for reducing 'exposure to litigation'. Officials said: "The Prison Service is committed to treating all prisoners with decency and humanity, which includes respecting those of all religions."

The Home Secretary is currently struggling to deal with record overcrowding in jails, which has led to convicts being housed in police cells. The crisis measure, known as Operation Safeguard, is costing the public tens of thousands of pounds.