UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE

DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Seth Bader

v. Civil No. 06-cv-137-JM

 Opinion No.: 2008 DNH 26

William Wren, Commissioner

of the New Hampshire 

Department of Corrections

O R D E R

In this action brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983,

plaintiff Seth Bader, who is incarcerated at the New Hampshire

State Prison (“NHSP”), challenges a rehabilitation program

offered there called the “Alternatives to Violence Program”

(“AVP”). Plaintiff claims the AVP infringes his First Amendment

rights because it violates the Establishment Clause by improperly

endorsing religion as part of the rehabilitative process it

teaches. Before the court are cross motions for summary

judgment. See Document no. 8 (defendant’s motion) and document

no. 11 (plaintiff’s motion). For the reasons set forth below,

defendant’s motion is granted and plaintiff’s motion is denied.

Case 1:06-cv-00137-JM Document 18 Filed 01/30/08 Page 1 of 20
1A motion for summary judgment must be accompanied by a

statement of material facts supported by appropriate record

citations, and any opposition must state which facts are disputed

with similarly appropriate record citations. See United States

District Court for the District of New Hampshire Local Rule

(“LR”) 7.2(b)(1) and (2); Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c). The record that

is relied upon to demonstrate that there are no genuine issues of

fact must contain admissible evidence. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(e). 

Here, plaintiff neglected to authenticate any of the documents

appended to his brief in support of his argument, rendering those

documents that are not self-authenticating inadmissible, and the

citations to them, therefore, inappropriate. See id.; see also

Fed. R. Evid. 901 & 902. The fact that some exhibits cannot be

considered does not affect the outcome here, however, because the

critical documents pertaining to the AVP are either properly

authenticated by defendant, or self-authenticating. Also, 

plaintiff concedes there are no contested issues of material

fact. Defendant’s statement of facts is deemed admitted and the

court will proceed based on those facts. See LR 7.2(b)(2); see

also Marin-Colon v. Dep’t of Homeland Sec.,__ F.3d __, No. 06-

2468, slip op. at 5-6 (1st Cir. Dec. 18, 2007) (enforcing local

rule governing evidence submitted in support of summary

judgment). 

2

Background1

Plaintiff was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced

to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He is

serving his sentence at the NHSP. As part of his classification

review, on January 1, 2006, NHSP officials recommended plaintiff

participate in the AVP. He refuses to do so, because, he

asserts, its message of “Transforming Power” implicates religion.

AVP is a program offered at the NHSP to inmates several

times a year and run by volunteers, who are either from outside

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the prison or inmates who previously participated in the program. 

See Def.’s Mem. in Sup. of Summ. J. Ex. A (“Def. Ex.”), ¶¶ 1, 7 &

8 (Aff. of Charles Oropallo); see also Ex. D, ¶¶ 3 & 4 (Aff. of

Denny Loughlin). The volunteers must be trained to become a

facilitator or a group leader, and are one or the other depending

on the level of training completed. The program is run as a

workshop, spanning several days. The workshops are held at the

NHSP. Besides providing space for the workshops, neither the

NHSP nor the State of New Hampshire supports, sponsors, advises,

funds, or in any other way facilitates, the AVP. See Ex. A, ¶ 7;

Ex. D, ¶¶ 5 & 7.

AVP was conceived in the 1970s as a means of teaching

incarcerated inmates how to turn away from violence. Ex. A, ¶¶ 2

& 3. Its origins are rooted in the Quaker idea of the power

within each individual to lead nonviolent lives through self

affirmation and respect for others; however, AVP is not built

upon nor does it advance any religion. See id., ¶ 3; see also

Ex. B (6/1/2007 excerpt from AVP website, http://avpusa.org/

home.htm). The AVP mission is:

a multicultural organization of volunteers

offering experiential workshops that empower

individuals to lead nonviolent lives through

affirmation, respect for all, community building

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4

cooperation and trust. Our fundamental belief

is that there is a power for peace and good in 

everyone, and that this power has the ability for

people to positively transform themselves and the

world. AVP builds on a spiritual base of respect 

and caring for self and others, working both in

prisons and with groups in the community.

Ex. C at 3 (AVP Participant Workbook). A central aspect of the

program is that participation be voluntary, because the goal of

personal growth cannot be accomplished unless the individual

wants to grow. See id. Role-playing is used to teach

participants new ways of dealing with conflict in a nonviolent

manner. The program follows manuals which were developed by

participants and which are regularly updated with new ideas. See

id. at 4. The manuals are frequently updated, to reflect the

program’s grass roots approach that resists any type of hierarchy

or authoritative power. See id.; see also Ex. E. at 3. “[AVP]

is about community, about acknowledging and encouraging the

potential of all of us to grow and develop, and about working

together by agreement and without coercion.” Ex. C at 4. 

The AVP Participant Workbook explains the “true source of

nonviolence is spiritual power. We call this Transforming

Power.” Id. at 4. Transforming power is described as “a

spiritual power [] inherent in humans and . . . found in all

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religious beliefs including Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Native

American, Hindu, and Buddhist.” Id. at 4. Participants,

however, are not guided to follow any particular spiritual path,

but rather to find within themselves the strength to change their

behavior away from violence. See id. at 4, 10 & 14 (emphasizing

personal spiritual paths and facilitating self-awareness and

control); see also Ex. B at 2; Ex. E at 3. The AVP teaches that

Transforming Power “is the power we all have to change

(transform) what might be a violent situation into a non-violent

(win/win) solution. The basis of Transforming Power is an

appreciation of one’s own self-worth and a caring attitude toward

all other people. This requires an ability to separate out

feelings toward someone’s behavior from feelings for the person.” 

Ex. C at 16.

The Workbook provides a detailed explanation of how to tap

one’s Transforming Power, by setting forth the following twelve

“Guides to Transforming Power”:

1. Seek to resolve conflicts by reaching 

common ground.

2. Reach for that something in others that

seeks to do good for self and others.

3. Listen. Everyone has made a journey. 

Try to understand where the other

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person is coming from before you make

up your mind.

4. Base your position on truth. Since 

people tend to seek truth, no position

based on falsehood can long prevail.

5. Be ready to revise your position if 

you discover it is not fair.

6. When you are clear about your position,

expect to experience great inward power

to act on it. A response that relies 

on this power will be courageous and

without hostility.

7. Do not expect that this response will

automatically ward off danger. If you 

cannot avoid risk, risk being creative

rather than violent.

8. Surprise and humor may help transform.

9. Learn to trust you inner sense of when

to act and when to withdraw.

10. Work towards new ways of overcoming

injustice. Be willing to suffer suspicion,

hostility, rejection, even persecution

if necessary.

11. Be patient and persistent in the continuing

search for justice.

12. Help build ‘community’ based on honesty,

respect and caring.

Ex. C at 14 (emphasis in original). According to the AVP

materials, Transforming Power has a unique meaning for each

individual. The workshops are designed to help participants find

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their own Transforming Power “to change people or situations by a

caring attitude expressed through persistent creative acts.” Id.

at 15; see also Ex. A at ¶ 5.

The NHSP recommends the AVP to inmates who have a history of

violence, as a means of helping them learn better ways of

managing stress. Ex. D. at ¶¶ 8 & 9. The program is recommended

because it “has proven itself over the years to be an effective

and worthwhile program. Inmates who have attended the program

generally report that it is a positive and beneficial

experience.” Id. ¶ 9. The NHSP recommended that plaintiff

participate in AVP but, as stated above, he has not done so. He

also has not yet, at the time of filing, suffered any adverse

consequences from that refusal. Plaintiff currently is

classified as “C-3,” which is a mid tier security ranking, and

remains housed in the NHSP’s Hancock Building. 

Discussion

1. Summary Judgment Standard 

Summary judgment is appropriate when “the pleadings,

depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file,

together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no

genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party

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2Plaintiff has crossed moved for summary judgment and filed

the same Memorandum of Law in support of his Motion for Summary

Judgment as he filed in opposition to Defendant’s Motion for

Summary Judgment. Cf. Documents no. 10.1 & no. 11.1. The 

Memorandum of Law shall be referred to hereinafter as “Pl.’s

Mem.”

8

is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P.

56(c); see also Navarro v. Pfizer Corp., 261 F.3d 90, 93-94 (1st

Cir. 2001) (citing authority). The burden of showing an absence

of any genuine issues of material fact lies with the moving

party. See id. The facts must be viewed in the light most

favorable to the non-moving party, construing all reasonable

inferences in his favor. See Suarez v. Pueblo Int’l, Inc., 229

F.3d 49, 53 (1st Cir. 2000). “The role of summary judgment is to

pierce the boilerplate of the pleadings and provide a means for

prompt disposition of cases in which no trial-worthy issue

exists.” Quinn v. City of Boston, 325 F.3d 18, 28 (1st Cir.

2003) (citing Suarez, 229 F.3d at 53). Here, plaintiff concedes

there are no genuine issues of material fact and that only legal

questions remain in dispute. See Pl.’s Mem. in Opp’n to Def.’s

Mot. for Summ. J., ¶¶ 2, 4 & 5 (doc. no. 10.1) (“Pl.’s Mem.).2

Accordingly, summary judgment is the appropriate method to

resolve this matter. See Quinn, 325 F.3d at 28.

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3Plaintiff also contends that his refusal to participate in

AVP could adversely affect his eligibility for parole; however,

he was sentenced to life without the possibility for parole. 

This issue, therefore, is not now, nor could it ever become, ripe

for review and will not be considered as a basis for the relief

sought. See Duguette v. Dolecal, No. 04-281-SM, 2005 WL 2093032

at *4 (D.N.H. Aug. 29, 2005) (discussing ripeness doctrine).

9

2. The Establishment Clause Claim

Plaintiff contends the NHSP’s recommendation that he

participate in the AVP violates the Establishment Clause of the

First Amendment because (1) the AVP program is religious, and (2)

he is being coerced to participate in the program, because his

refusal may result in adverse administrative consequences such as

higher security housing, limited work opportunities, or other

institutional restrictions.3 Defendant’s consideration of his

participation in the AVP, he asserts, constitutes excessive

entanglement with religion in violation of the Establishment

Clause. See Pl.’s Mem. at ¶¶ 36 & 37. Defendant responds that

the AVP is not a religious program and, even if it were, there is

no evidence that the State’s involvement has the principal or

primary effect of advancing religion. Defendant also contends

that plaintiff is not being coerced to attend AVP simply because

it was recommended on his classification review form. As

explained more fully below, I am not persuaded by plaintiff’s

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argument and find, instead, that defendant more accurately

depicts the AVP and the implications for plaintiff if he fails to

complete the program.

The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment proscribes 

governmental involvement in religion, either to advance or

inhibit its practice in any form. See U.S. Const., amend. I

(providing “Congress shall make no law respecting an

establishment of religion”). It is made applicable to the states

through the Fourteenth Amendment. Lee v. Weisman, 505 U.S. 577,

580 (1992). Its essential purpose is to “prohibit[] government

from appearing to take a position on questions of religious

belief or from ‘making adherence to a religion relevant in any

way to a person’s standing in the political community.’” 

Allegheny County v. Greater Pittsburgh ACLU, 492 U.S. 573, 594

(1989) (quoting Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668, 687 (1984)

(O’Connor, J., concurring)). In other words, the government

cannot endorse or suppress religion, however tangentially. See

Allegheny County, 492 U.S. at 591-95 (reviewing the contours of

the Establishment Clause’s limit on governmental action).

Challenges to governmental action that allegedly violate the

Establishment Clause, as plaintiff alleges here, require the

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Court to make fact-specific determinations. See id. at 597

(“Every government practice must be judged in its unique

circumstances to determine whether it [endorses] religion.”

(internal quote omitted)); see also Lee, 505 U.S. at 597

(explaining that Establishment Clause jurisprudence “remains a

delicate and fact-sensitive one”). While the proscription has

been difficult to translate into “concrete rules and consistent

doctrine,” DeStefano v. Emergency Hous. Group, Inc., 247 F.3d

397, 405 (2d Cir. 2001), the Supreme Court has annunciated a

three-part test to determine whether the challenged governmental

action -- here, the NHSP’s recommendation of AVP -- violates the

Establishment Clause: (1) does it have a secular purpose?; (2)

is its principal or primary effect one that neither advances nor

inhibits religion?; (3) does the act avoid excessive governmental

entanglement with religion? See Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602,

612-13 (1971); see also Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, 536 U.S. 639,

668 (2002) (reaffirming the Lemon test as a “central tool in our

analysis of cases in this area”) (O’Connor, J., concurring)). 

The second and third questions have been fused into one,

because the same evidence often answers both questions. See

Zelman, 536 U.S. at 668-69 (“the degree of entanglement has

Case 1:06-cv-00137-JM Document 18 Filed 01/30/08 Page 11 of 20
4The effects test is further broken down into subparts that

ask whether the action or program results in governmental

indoctrination, determines its recipients by reference to

religion, or creates excessive entanglement with religion. See

DeStefano, 247 F.3d at 406 (citing Mitchell v. Helms, 530 U.S.

793, 120 S.Ct. 2530, 2559 (2000) (plurality opinion) and

Agostini, 521. U.S. at 234); see also Kerr, 95 F.3d at 477-79

(canvassing cases stating various tests depending on what the

challenged act is).

12

implications for whether a statue advances or inhibits

religion”); Agostini v. Felton, 521 U.S. 203, 232 (1997)

(combining excessive entanglement into the effects inquiry). The

analysis, therefore, assesses whether the challenged governmental

act has a secular purpose and whether it affects religion in some

way.4 If the challenged act fails any part of this test, then it

violates the Establishment Clause. See Lemon, 403 U.S. at 613-

14. 

Based on the facts presented here, my analysis begins, and

ends, with the second question: whether or not the challenged

governmental act’s principal or primary effect is to advance or

inhibit religion. Here, this second query, the “effects test,”

subsumes the question of whether the NHSP’s recommendation of the

AVP to plaintiff coerces him to participate in religion, because,

if it does, it necessarily also would have the principal or

primary effect of advancing religion. See e.g. Lee, 505 U.S. at

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604 (“Government pressure to participate in a religious activity

is an obvious indication that the government is endorsing or

promoting religion.” (Blackmun, J., concurring)); Gray v.

Johnson, 436 F. Supp. 2d 795, 799 n.4 (W.D. Va. 2006) (explaining

how the coercion and endorsement tests fall within the second

prong of the Lemon paradigm); DeStefano, 247 F.3d at 411-13

(citing authority to explain the “fulcrum” of the Establishment

Clause analysis is whether the government, either directly or

indirectly, exerts pressure that “interferes with an individual’s

‘real choice’ about whether to participate in worship or prayer.”

(quoting Lee, 505 U.S. at 592, 595)). In the prison context,

this means that the State cannot require an inmate to participate

in a rehabilitation program that is religious, because that

requirement would constitute a governmental act that would have

the effect of advancing religion. See e.g. Catala v. Comm’r,

N.H. Dep’t of Corrections, No. 05-106-JD, 2005 WL 3133036, at *1

(D.N.H. Nov. 22, 2005) (citing authority); see also Edmonson v.

Curry, No. Civ. 05-cv-445-JD, 2006 WL 1134913, at *5-6 (D.N.H.

Apr. 3, 2006) (finding state-run sexual offender program that

posted scriptural passages in public places subjects participants

to a particular religion in violation of the Establishment

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Clause); Armstrong v. Beauclair, No. 06-49-S-EJL, 2007 WL

1381790, at *5 (D. Idaho Mar. 29, 2007) (“The law has been clear

for many years that an inmate may not be forced to participate in

a religiously-oriented prison program.”); Kerr v. Farrey, 95 F.3d

472, 480 (7th Cir. 1996) (conditioning parole eligibility on

attendance at NA constitutes coerced religious involvement).

Plaintiff devotes the majority of his brief to arguing that

the AVP is religious. See Pl.’s Mem., ¶¶ 11-25 & 30. Plaintiff

contends that the AVP’s reliance on the concept of Transforming

Power is analogous to Alcoholics Anonymous’(“AA”) and Narcotics

Anonymous’ (“NA”) invocation of God in their 12-step program, and

that the AVP follows Quaker principles and methodology. He

submits that he is being coerced into participating, because his

refusal to do so will adversely impact his custody status and

attendant privileges. Plaintiff’s argument fails, however,

because I find that the AVP is not religious, which means its

primary effect cannot be to advance religion. Plaintiff,

therefore, is precluded from invoking the protections of the

Establishment Clause under the circumstances presented here. 

First, while it is well-settled that requiring attendance at

AA or NA as part of a prison sentence or rehabilitation program

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5Plaintiff argues the AVP is religious because it teaches

“‘sincere . . . beliefs which are based upon a power or being, or

upon a faith, to which all else is subordinated or upon which all

else is ultimately dependent and which occupies in the life of

its possessor a place parallel to that filled by . . . God.’” 

Pl.’s Mem. at 7 (quoting United States v. Seeger, 380 U.S. 163,

176 (1965)). Plaintiff’s quote from Seeger is misleading and

incomplete. In context, the quote does not advance his argument. 

In Seeger the Court was construing the conscientious objector

statute, 50 U.S.C. App. §456(j) (1958 ed.), as broadly as

possible to clarify that Congress intended to include all people

whose personal beliefs led them to object to combatant military

service, and not to limit the exemption to those objectors who

followed more traditional or orthodox religions. The complete

quote explains that the exemption includes “all sincere religious

beliefs which are based upon a power or being, or upon a faith,

to which all else is subordinate or upon which all else is

ultimately dependent. The test might be stated in these words: 

A sincere and meaningful belief which occupies in the life of its

possessor a place parallel to that filled by the God of those

admittedly qualifying for the exemption comes within the

statutory definition.” Id. at 176. The Court in Seeger was

distinguishing between “religious beliefs,” which were protected

by the statute, and political, social or philosophical beliefs,

which were not, and concluded “merely a personal moral code,”

could not support a conscientious objector exemption. See id. at

178-79. The Court’s holding is inapposite to the facts at issue

here, and may not reflect its current definition of religion. 

See United States v. Meyers, 906 F.Supp. 1494, 1499-1500 (D.Wyo.

1995) (discussing Supreme Court’s efforts to define religion and

15

violates the Establishment Clause, see Yates v. Cunningham, 70 F.

Supp. 2d 47, 49 n.2 (D.N.H. 1999) (citing authority), nothing in

the AVP literature parallels the 12-step program of AA or NA. 

There is no reference in AVP to a higher being, outside of the

participant, who’s called upon to help redeem the individual and

which could be understood as invoking religion.5 Cf. e.g.

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construe the First Amendment’s religion clauses), aff’d 95 F.3d

1475 (10th Cir. 1996). 

16

Armstrong, 2007 WL 1381790 at *5 (finding NA program based on

submission to a higher power was religious and citing authority

for same); DeStefano, 247 F.3d at 406-07 (describing religious

references in AA program and finding probation conditioned on

participation in AA violates the Establishment Clause); Kerr, 95

F.3d at 480 (holding twelve-step program’s reference to “God, as

we understood Him” is clearly based on a monotheistic idea of a

single God or Supreme Being). Unlike those programs, the AVP’s

identification of “Transforming Power” is much closer to “the

non-religious idea of willpower within the individual.” Id.

Nothing in the AVP literature supports the conclusion that

Transforming Power is a religion, which has been defined “as a

‘system of faith and worship usu[ally] involving belief in a

supreme being and usu[ally] containing a moral or ethical code;

esp[ecially], such a system recognized and practiced by a

particular church, sect, or denomination. . ..’” Armstrong, 2007

WL 1381790 at *5 (quoting Black’s Law Dictionary).

Second, though AVP’s core principal of Transforming Power is

rooted in Quaker philosophy, nothing about the program promotes,

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advances, or even subtly endorses the Quaker religion. The

guides to Transforming Power do not allude to, invoke, or call

upon any religious books, scriptures, passages or moral code,

Quaker or otherwise. Simply because the AVP model may parallel

some of the Quaker methodology or meeting style does not mean the

program follows that religion, adopts its tenets, or encourages

or endorses the religious beliefs of Quakers in any way.

The AVP format does not implement any cognizable religious

practice or methodology. See e.g., Meyers, 906 F. Supp. at 1500-

03 (identifying common characteristics of any faith). The

program is explicitly individualistic, relying primarily on the

participant’s ability to change himself. AVP teaches that

Transforming Power has a unique meaning to each participant,

based upon that individual’s perspective and experience. It

could mean the same thing, or diametrically opposite things, to a

Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or atheist participant. 

While the program teaches an ideology of the power within each

individual to transform his or her perspective, it seeks to

accomplish this without reliance on, reference to, or invocation

of, any theology. Transforming Power, as utilized in the AVP, is

not part of any religion and cannot be understood as religious. 

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See id. at 1504 (differentiating “purely personal, political,

ideological or secular beliefs” that do not fall within the

protections of the First Amendment).

Because I find the AVP is a secular rehabilitation program,

the NHSP’s recommendation that plaintiff participate in it simply

cannot constitute coercive pressure advancing a religion, or

excessive governmental entanglement in religion, to support a

finding that its primary effect is to advance religion in

violation of the Establishment Clause. It is undisputed that the

program has the primary purpose of helping inmates learn how to

turn away from violence and to seek alternative means of

resolving conflict or managing stress. It is also undisputed

that the program’s goal is to enable participants to find the

power of self-control to avoid violence in the future. Nothing

in the record suggests that this was a “sham secular purpose.” 

Gray, 436 F. Supp. 2d at 800 (quoting Santa Fe Indep. Sch. Dist.

v. Doe, 530 U.S. 290, 308 (2000)). The record demonstrates that

defendant’s recommendation of AVP does not interfere with

plaintiff’s free will or individual conscience to choose whether

or not to worship, and it cannot be understood as defendant

endorsing one religion over another, or some religion over no

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religion. The AVP recommendation, therefore, does not violate

the Establishment Clause. 

The circumstances presented here exemplify how: 

The First Amendment does not prohibit practices

which by any realistic measure create none of 

the dangers which it is designed to prevent 

and which do not so directly or substantially

involve the state in religious exercises or in

the favoring of religion as to have meaningful

and practical impact. It is of course true that

great consequences can grow from small beginnings,

but the measure of constitutional adjudication

is the ability and willingness to distinguish

between real threat and mere shadow.

Lee, 505 U.S. at 598 (quoting School Dist. v. Schempp, 374 U.S.

203, 308 (1963) (Goldberg, J., concurring)). The undisputed

record demonstrates that plaintiff’s rights under the

Establishment Clause are not violated by the NHSP’s

recommendation that he participate in the AVP. Summary judgment,

therefore, is awarded to defendant.

Conclusion

For the reasons set forth above, defendant’s motion for

summary judgment (document no. 8) is granted, and plaintiff’s

motion for summary judgment (document no. 11) is denied. The

Clerk is ordered to close the case.

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SO ORDERED.

____________________________________

James R. Muirhead

United States Magistrate Judge

Date: January 30, 2008 

cc: Michael J. Sheehan, Esq.

 Deborah B. Weissbard, Esq.

 

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