Are the taxpayers providing even that, or are the Gideons providing the Bibles?
I agree that the prohibition of other translations of the Bible and (while I am sure the thought will be even less popular) smacks of the 'establishment of a religion' the founders prohibited in the First Amendment, but this is not being done by Congress (who the founders prohibited from establishing a religion).
Furthermore, it is being done, not on the streets in an entire town/village/city/state/country, but in a prison, where the warden can demand that inmates wear prison garb (adjudicated in non-penal environments to be an infringement on First Amendment freedom of speech, via 'expression' being considered a form of 'speech').
Before kicking open the gates to every cult, or even established religion out there, we need to recall this is prison--the people there are being punished. Now if that includes not keeping up with the Kardashians, or not getting to read the material they choose, so be it.
Are the taxpayers providing even that, or are the Gideons providing the Bibles?
Either way, it is a blatant violation of the First Amendment which has, over the years, been under constant attack.
In regards to religion, the First Amendment requires two things:
The Establishment Clause requires that Government cannot play favorites between different religions.
The Free Exercise Clause prohibits the Government from prohibiting religious worship.
The entire issue of a "wall of separation between Church & State" is a fabrication used by liberals to establish atheism as the Politically Correct religion and completely ignore the Free Excersise Clause.
The First Amendment does not prohibit a high school valedictorian from saying a Christian prayer in his or her own speech. The First Amendment just requires that all other religions be given the same privilege so that there is no "favorite" established religion. If the valedectorian is Jewish, it is his constitutional right to say a Jewish prayer in his speech.
Likewise, the First Amendment prohibits Government from deciding that Gideons are allowed to hand out Bibles, because they use the King James Version, but the Knights of Columbus are not allowed because they hand out Catholic versions and the B'nai B'rith is certainly not allowed to hand out a Torah because it is in Hebrew and they left out the New Testament.
The Gideons handout Bible versions in 94 different languages so this particular Sheriff has taken it upon himself to ban 93 of those.
the founders prohibited in the First Amendment, but this is not being done by Congress (who the founders prohibited from establishing a religion).
As I wrote before, the Constitution has empowered SCOTUS to decide that issue, SCOTUS has decided that issue IAW the Constitution and Nullification is dead and buried.
Furthermore, it is being done, not on the streets in an entire town/village/city/state/country, but in a prison, where the warden can demand that inmates wear prison garb ...
Yes, but the Sheriff can not demand something SPECIFICALLY prohibited by the Constitution: Favoring one religious denomination over the others.
Before kicking open the gates to every cult, or even established religion out there, we need to recall this is prison--the people there are being punished.
Again, the First Amendment demands neutrality in religion.
If the "punishment" rational is used, it is unconstitutional for Southern Baptists in a South Carolina jail to be allowed the King James Version of the Bible for their religious worship while Jews are prohibited the Hebrew Torah for their religious worship.
If the "punishment" rational is used, it is unconstitutional for Mormons in a Utah jail to be allowed the Book of Mormon for their religious worship while Southern Baptists are prohibited the King James Version of the Bible for their religious worship.
If the "punishment" rational is used, it is unconstitutional for Catholics in a Louisiana Parish jail to be allowed Catholic versions of the Bible for their religious worship while Southern Baptists are prohibited the King James Version of the Bible for their religious worship.