The only television they watch are religious videos and those Charlton Heston movies. I don't see how anybody could view that as a special privilege. A state district judge sided with the county earlier this year and ruled that the God Pod violates no Constitutional strictures. Plaintiffs have appealed that judgment, and the case now goes to the state Court of Appeals for the Second District. Collins said an appellate decision is unlikely before the end of the year.
Pod are more sanctimonious than saintly.
Residence in the chaplain's unit isn't linked to any sentence reductions, but some inmates hope their tenure there will impress judges or juries with their desire for reform, Sutton said. The program's top supervisor said he's fully familiar with con artists and false converts. Hugh Atwell was an Arlington policeman for 25 years before becoming director of chaplaincy for the Tarrant County Jail's employees and inmates in 1993. His last post before retiring from the Arlington department was as the sergeant in charge of the detective unit assigned to violent crimes. He's still a licensed peace officer, but Chaplain Atwell now handles religious programming for jail inmates, provides counseling services for 1,300 jail employees and coordinates 300 ministerial volunteers.