A civil liberties group said that an Alabama town should not start an alternative sentencing program that would give non-violent offenders a new choice: Go to jail, or go to church.
Soon to begin, the program will allow a city judge to sentence misdemeanor offenders to work off their sentences in jail and pay a fine, or go to church every Sunday for a year.
Offenders who select church can pick the place of worship but must check in weekly with the pastor and the police department.
If the one-year church attendance program is completed successfully, the offender's case will be dismissed.
The Alabama branch of the American Civil Liberties Union plans to send Bay Minette officials a letter demanding that they suspend the program.
While the group says it supports alternative sentencing programs that save money, it believes the plan in Bay Minette violates the Constitution, state ACLU Executive Director Olivia Turner said in a statement.