HB5455 - Faith Behind Bars Act

• Establishes constitutional right for incarcerated persons to practice their faith in correctional facilities absent harm and without undue burden to the correctional system.

• Requires correctional institutions to provide access to pastoral and spiritual care, religious reading materials (texts, prayer manuals, prayer mats), and accommodate religious observances including prayer time, fasting, and dietary restrictions.

• Mandates all facilities maintain a chaplain database representing the faith groups of the incarcerated population and provide access to chaplains as requested by incarcerated persons.

• Requires facilities to permit chaplain access to incarcerated persons absent evidence of potential harm and probable cause of threat to security, and to grant requests for religious gatherings (mass, congregations, sermons) absent harm or undue burden.

• Mandates every 5 years training seminars for wardens and administrators administered by chaplains to familiarize them with foundations of major faith groups represented in the facilities.