Why the California Department of Corrections Wiccan count is inaccurate

In 2011, I went with Starhawk & Rev. Patrick McCollum into the two women's prisons in Chowchilla, CA to help facilitate Beltane rituals for the women there (Only Maypole Rituals inside a Prison in the US). At one prison, 200 women had requested to attend; over 75 requested to attend at the other. 200 + 75 = 275. Just at two women's prisons in the central valley. Now 275 is more than the 183 Wiccans that the CDCR is claiming are in the entire California Correctional system. I just can't believe that these numbers are correct. 1 - Many Wiccans I met were serving life sentences without parole (which means they aren't going anywhere). 2 - While a certain portion of the prison population is transient, many women especially find the Goddess in Prison.  They need Her in those high grey walls.  Prison rape and sexual harassment by guards is rampant and as one sergeant told me "they put the predators in with the house pets." Where can you imagine needing the Great She more to envelope you in Her love and Blessings?

Many of the guards in these prisons belong to one of the several conservative Evangelical Churches in Chowchilla. Now Pagans would you be honest about your religious affiliation to a guard who you know interprets the Old Testament literally? You'd have to know you were taking your life into your hands.

 Now this experience was fraught with mysterious "missing paperwork," snide comments from guards and huge chunks of the women who had requested to attend were denied their rights to religious services. Before I went into the prison I had no idea how bad the hatred and fear of Paganism really was. These women were legitimate witches, who have made poor decisions and broken laws. However, their Christian, Catholic and Muslim peers are allowed to have full-time paid chaplains to service their needs. Patrick McCollum can only go visit them once maybe twice a year.  This is not adequate religious service. They need more than a volunteer chaplain. At bare minimum, the state needs to hire a few Wiccan chaplains who can travel and can do holy day services at 3-6 prisons depending on their work area. The VSPW and CCWF however are in need of a full-time Wiccan Chaplain. It only took one visit to tell me that. These women are in need of devoted chaplaincy service, of religion-based counseling, spiritual guidance and encouragement. If we really want to see rehabilitation happen in the prison, isn't finding religion there supposed to be instrumental? Who says it has to be Jesus? What if you are more likely to get your life straight with the assistance of Freya? Or the Morrigain? Or Oshun?

I am hoping that the case going to the trial judge CDCR may have to hire Wiccan Chaplain - Lawsuit

will result in these women getting their spiritual needs met. I really resonated with the whole experience. I enjoyed teaching the women some small amount of faerie lore and Erisian thealogy. If Chowchilla wasn't such an awful, little, conservative, dust-bowl  community, I'd be tempted to apply. Goddess bless everyone with a leg in this fight.

Here is Starhawk's Blog about those Rituals:
A Maypole in Prison