Have any of you provided clergy visits to incarcerated inmates that need spiritual guidance ? If you have, have you experienced negativity, hostility or denial from a prison authority member? I have provided clergy visits to two inmates at two different prisons. One prison is fantastic, and they have many members of the clergy come often to meet with inmates and provide spiritual guidance, regardless of their denomination. Another prison I recently went to has not had very many members of the clergy visit their facility and I was not welcomed to their facililty, however, reluctantly they allowed me the first day. On Sunday when I returned, which was the next day, I was told to leave, harassed and told I don't "look like a member of the clergy" by the Captain, who also referenced the fact that I am a female. He filed a Notice of Proposed Visitor Restriction to attempt to ban me from every institution in Michigan. The hearing was held on August 15, and the verdict was in my favor, thus the visitor restriction was not upheld. NOW, even though the hearing was in my favor, which should have reinstated my visiting privileges as a member of the clergy immediately, the Warden has decided to exercise his discretion and override that decision and refer it to the Central Office at the MDOC office to determine my "clergy status". Therefore, I am unable to exercise my ability to provide ministry services to any Michigan institution until such "central office" makes a determination as to my "clergy status". What would you do?
