First Amendment? What First Amendment?

I guess you don't need to pay any attention to the Constitution if everyone agrees.

"Operation ROC resulted from meetings with church leaders," Bay Minette Police Chief Mike Rowland said. "It was agreed by all the pastors that at the core of the crime problem was the erosion of family values and morals. We have children raising children and parents not instilling values in young people."

Rowland said the idea was simple: get people who are not yet hardened criminals to become involved in positive programs — hundreds of free resources offered by some 104 churches in the region with 56 agreeing to help monitor first-time, nonviolent offenders. Under the program, pastors would report weekly to the chief and offenders in the program would bring a signed sheet to prove they attended church.

They would also have to answer some questions about the services, Rowland said. And the offenders who voluntarily choose church over jail get to pick the churches they attend. If they complete a year’s attendance, Rowland said, their criminal case would be dismissed.

There's a little problem here -- it's called the First Amendment, specifically the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise clause. They're apparently holding out "community service" as a non-church option -- but all the community service programs seem to be administered by churches. I don't think even Antonin Scalia's going to buy this one.