Q. What do we mean when we say that prison officials need to be educated to make policy

changes affecting believers?

A. The simple answer is The Department of Corrections (D.O.C) is unfamiliar with the concept of Messianic

Followers of Yah.

1. Most branches of D.O.C. use a Religious Reference Manual to determine what materials, services, and

vital tenants are needed for a particular faith. If your beliefs do not match that faith exactly, you will not

be allowed to observe important things even if other denominations are allowed to do so!

For example, In the Kentucky Department of Corrections, some faiths which are allowed to have

worship and materials are Jewish (NOT MESSIANIC SECTS), Christian (NOT TORAH OBSERVING

SECTS), Buddhists, Wicca, Native American, and Muslim. If you are a Christian, you cannot be like a

7th day Adventist who observes Sabbath or a World Wide member that observes the Appointed Times

(Passover, etc.). If you are a Natsarim/Nazarene, Sacred Namer, Messianic, Hebrew Israelite,

Assemblies of Yah or any other Torah Observant Messianic Group you will not be allowed to observe

the appointed times, gather on Sabbath, have services, or be immersed. However, if you register as an

Orthodox Jew you can observe the Sabbath and appointed times and if you register as Christian you

could be immersed by a pastor but not by an elder or someone who uses the Hebrew name of the Father

or son.

This causes a big problem because whether you are a Messianic Yehudi (Jew) of any sect or consider

yourself a Christian who observes Sabbaths, Feasts, or Torah in general….there is no place for you to

observe your faith while incarcerated. The prison is not required to permit baptism, services, Sabbaths,

or materials of any kind although you will see a lot of promotion of non-torah observant Christianity.

2. Here is are pictures of my personal copy of the “JUDAISM” Section of the Kentucky Department of

Corrections Religion Reference Manual governing Religious Policy C.P.P. 23.1. I had to fight for over a

year just to get it, and if you can access the full document containing all Kentucky approved faiths

online, please let me know because I would like a whole copy. (I apologize for the scribbles on my copy,

please disregard.)

3. To successfully encourage change within Department of Corrections, all administrative remedies must

be exhausted. What this means in simple terms is that a request must be made and denied. An attempt to

deal with staff must occur. Once denied, a grievance must be filed. The grievance must go through every

administrative level (Chaplain, Caseworker, Unit Administrator, Grievance Committee, Warden, and

Commissioner). I have already done this in our state, now it is ready to go to a federal level. However,

even though this is blatantly against the constitution of the U.S. please know that without public support

change is almost impossible because the court agencies protect D.O.C. in situations like this.

Allow me to show you through the grievance I filed on behalf of “Sacred Name Messianic Assemblies”

demonstrating the discrimination and prohibition of our faith:

The following evidentiary support was offered with the grievance in support of the fact

Messianic Followers of YAH truly exist as a real faith and not just some attempt to gain a

benefit or interfere with operations:

Blocked for Privacy

Official Grievance Process Responses Please Note: The Chaplain (Ed Melton at the time) wrote something that was so “inappropriate” I was told, his

response was not even utilized and the process skipped him, required I sign a time extension, and went to Unit

Administrator Mike McCalister:

The Unit Administrator was trying to insinuate that I liked to change my religion a lot by suggesting that I had

originally registered as a “Hebrew Israelite” then registered as “Jewish” and now was seeking to be recognized

as “Sacred Name Messianic Assemblies.” When I came into the Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women I

was asked to specify a religion, I originally said that I was a Messianic Sacred Name Jew, the lady told me that

was not a faith on the list. Not knowing what we might be called, I tried variations I had heard of our

faith….Assemblies of YHWH, Nazarenes, Kairites, and finally Hebrew Israelites. The lady said that was on the

list so I assumed that since a Jew, Hebrew, and Israelite are all related in the dictionary this would be correct. I

then submitted multiple requests to the Chaplain at KCIW and he repeatedly informed me that my faith was not

recognized by DOC and that I could seek to find a job that does not require me to work on the weekly Sabbath,

but as for gathering, having studies, participating in holy days, immersions – I could forget it. He did not tell me

about the Religion Reference Manual or that I could register as simply “Jewish.”

When I arrived at Western Kentucky Correctional Center, I attempted to seek to have the Holy Days and

Sabbath off as I was not allowed to pick my job at this facility and I was placed in the kitchen on a shift

requiring me to work on the Sabbath. I was told to my face by UA McCalister that the facility was not obligated

to allow me to keep the Sabbath as my faith is not recognized. The chaplain refused to see me, talk to me, or

respond to multiple written requests. That is when an inmate, Meg Appleton now deceased, informed me that I

needed to register as “Jewish.” I was hesitant because after reading the description in their book, I realize they

assume all Yehudim fit the mold of Orthodox Rabbinical Judaism. We do not observe the Oral Torah, we do not

call men Rabbi, We believe in the Messiah, We use the Tetragrammaton, and We do not use the Hillel II

Calendar and use the Scriptural unchanged calendar which requires witnesses. We were different, very

different. However, we were both Torah focused, observed Sabbath, observed the Holy Days, and I hoped I

could make it work for my faith. It was not my intention to cause problems as I had committed crimes which

took place before my baptism that had placed me in prison and I sought not to cause problems. However, my

faith has become the thing which has changed my life and I had to follow the steps to make the observance of

that faith possible.

After registering as Jewish I began to hold Sabbath meetings during the Jewish time, every person attending

knowing I am a Messianic Hebrew Israelite / Sacred Namer / Assembly of Yahuwah / Nazarene…whatever you

want to call me I was NOT an orthodox Jew. I was mocked and made fun of, called a “Fake Jew”, the “Other

Kind of Jew” told “I made my faith up” and all kinds of similar things by staff. But I realize they were

unfamiliar with our faith and they did not know how offensive and uneducated the statements they were making

truly were.

I filed a grievance seeking to have our faith clearly defined and added to the religious manual and provided

evidence that supports we meet the qualifications of a legitimate faith under the terms of the American

Correctional Association and Federal Law. And as we were not asking for anything that is not already contained

in one of the other approved faiths, we were not creating some unnecessary burden or causing any threat to

security. In fact, the whole time we observed Sabbath we never had one issue. The only time we ever had

problems was when we tried to observe Passover (staff was incredibly rude and a multi-staff grievance had to

be filed) and Atonement (They actually had an institutional shakedown and locked us in the gym the whole day

and we weren’t even allowed our scriptures then we were forced to clean our bed areas up despite 45 days

advance notice!) The point is, the only Problem with our faith is that D.O.C. does not know it exists and that has

to change.

Here is the rest of the responses to our grievance.

So as you can see, despite clearly defining our faith and specifically showing how we

were affected – I was denied all the way to the commissioner and told that no response

was even needed and no materials nor services had to be provided as they were protected

by law.

This ministry has no interest in suing the Department of Corrections or seeking monetary damages; however,

Word of YAH- Prison Outreach is dedicated to making sure each and every state in the United States of

America clearly defines and adds Messianic Believers of YHWH to their Religious Manuals and protects the

right to observe vital tenants of the faith as outlined in the grievance provided as evidence. This mission is

unique from most prison ministry efforts in existence and we need the help of EVERY believer of YAH out

there to make this happen. Please email bdorsey343@gmail.com if you can help me to make this mission

happen.