On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 11:12:24 AM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 8/28/13 11:22 AM, wrote:

On Tue, 27 Aug 2013 21:33:33 -0400, "F.O.A.D." wrote:



(CN) - An avowed atheist who was jailed for refusing to participate in

a 12-step treatment program deserves a new trial of his civil rights

claims, the 9th Circuit ruled.

Barry Hazle sued his parole officer, several California

corrections officials and Westcare Corp. after they revoked his

probation for a drug conviction because of his "congenial" refusal to

recognize a higher power, as the 12-step recovery method requires.

Hazle said he told officials several times about his atheism and

reluctance to participate in religious treatment programs after pleading

no-contest in 2006 to possession of methamphetamine. Nonetheless, in

2007 he was paroled to a 90-day residential program that offered only

the 12 Steps, many of which call for explicit acceptance of God.

When he refused to participate, staff reported Hazle to his parole

officer, saying that he was being "disruptive, though in a congenial

way, to the staff as well as other students," according to the ruling.

Hazle then found himself back in prison for another 100 days.

His federal civil rights action sought damages for false

imprisonment, among other things. U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell in

San Francisco found the defendants were indeed liable for depriving

Hazle of his First Amendment rights and turned the issue over to a jury

to determine the amount of damages.

The jury awarded zero damages.

Hazle shot back with a motion for a new trial, but was denied. A

three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit reversed Friday, finding that Hazle

was entitled to something.

"The district judge's finding of liability establishes that Hazle

suffered actual injury when he was unconstitutionally incarcerated,"

Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote for the court. "Given this undisputed

finding that Hazle's constitutional rights were violated, and applying

the rule that the award of compensatory damages is mandatory when the

existence of actual injury is beyond dispute, we hold that the district

judge erred in refusing to hold that Hazle was, as a matter of law,

entitled to compensatory damages. We therefore reverse the district

judge's denial of Hazle's motion for a new trial."



http://tinyurl.com/p4pmh65



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Ahh, the religious.



Has anyone had any better success with drug addiction?





The 12-Step programs are self-help and reassurance programs, they are

not the sort of "therapy" many addicts need. That therapy incorporates

traditional therapy, whether individual or group, and in many cases,

prescription therapy. If a drug addict goes cold turkey by

himself/herself and right into some 12-step program, the addict has a

good chance of falling over and dying.



The religious underpinnings and overlay of 12-step programs are

off-putting for many addicts. A lot of people simply don't want religion

shoved down their throats.

"
The religious underpinnings and overlay of 12-step programs are
off-putting for many addicts. "

There's a lot of substance/alcohol abusers who while in the `12-step' programs , follow the religious overtones closely.