Oklahoma Teen Sentenced to 10 Years Church Attendance

Teen Sentenced to 10 Years Church Attendance

Assistant DA Jim Carnagey's office has confirmed that Judge Norman has required church attendance with other defendants in the past.

SALT LAKE CITY —According to KSL.com,  A district judge in Oklahoma has generated new controversy by sentencing a teenager to 10 years of church attendance, even though the judge admits it's not constitutional.

Religion News Services reports Judge Mike Norman gave Tyler Alred, 17, a 10-year deferred sentence for DUI manslaughter. Alred was driving a pickup truck that crashed and killed a passenger in December 2011.

In deferring the sentence, the judge not only ordered Alred to a decade of church attendance, but also required him to finish high school and welding school.

Alred's attorney and the victim's family agreed to the terms of the sentence.

The ACLU in Oklahoma calls the church requirement a "clear violation of the First Amendment."

Judge Norman, who has recommended church as part of sentencing in some past cases, admits the church attendance part of the sentence won't hold up legally but doubts either side in the case will appeal.

He says the sentence was the right thing to do.

The ACLU is considering its options, but according to RNS an individual or organization must have legal standing to challenge the constitutionality of the church attendance requirement.

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Alred's defense attorney, Donn Baker, called the sentence unusual, but does not plan to challenge it because his client attends church every Sunday, anyway. Baker stated,

'My client goes to church every Sunday. That isn't going to be a problem for him. We certainly want the probation for him.'

Records show that Alred admitted to Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers that he had been drinking. Alred was not legally drunk by BAC content standards. However, being underage means that any alcohol detected warrants a charge of DUI. In addition to the DUI charge, Alred was charged with manslaughter as a youthful offender.

Judge Norman has not released a statement, and the responisbility of monitoring Alred's church attendance falls on the DA's office.

The report also notes that Assistant DA Jim Carnagey's office has confirmed that Judge Norman has required church attendance with other defendants in the past.