Prisoners denied baptisms
By Bobby Ross Jr.

The Christian Chronicle In Anchorage, Alaska, prison minister Dave Olson can name half a dozen state inmates who would love to be baptized.

But for these prisoners — and many other inmates across the nation — redemption must wait.

Citing security concerns and other reasons, government-paid chaplains often deny ministers’ requests to immerse inmates, The Christian Chronicle has learned.

“There are many, many chaplains that do not believe in baptism, and they’re not going to go out of their way to see that it’s done,” said William Crossman, an evangelist with the Church of Christ Prison Ministry in Leavenworth, Kan.

In New Mexico, one county jail recently started allowing baptisms twice a month, but only after a congregation enlisted the help of the Liberty Counsel, a religious liberties legal organization. the rest