Uproar Over Wiccan Chaplain Hired at Wisconsin Prison

December 6, 2001

Source: Wisconsin State Journal

http://www.wisconsinstatejournal.com/local/8446.html

On December 6, 2001, the Wisconsin State Journal featured an article on Rev. Jamyi Witch, the new Wiccan chaplain at Waupun Correctional Institution in Wisconsin. "Rep. Scott Walker, R-Wauwatosa, head of the assembly committee that egulates prison, said he was 'offended' by Witch's religion and was looking into whether she had been hired in defiance of the state's hiring freeze... At the center of the furor is Witch, 43, an ordained Wiccan minister, as well as a mother, Girl Scout leader, school volunteer and former hospice and crisis counselor. Witch... said she respects all religions and will only perform services for the 30 or so of Waupun's 1,200 inmates who practice Wicca, an ancient nature-based religion. 'Chaplain means non-denominational, and I hold that in my heart,' said Witch.