Ill. inmate loses quest to have 'Satanic Bible'

EAST ST. LOUIS — A federal judge says an Illinois prison inmate doesn't have a right to "The Satanic Bible" behind bars.

After a one-day trial Monday in East St. Louis, U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Wilkerson cited security concerns in rejecting Kevin Halfmann's claims that he needs the book to practice his religion.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/nSfp9W) reports that witnesses testified that "The Satanic Bible" hasn't been allowed in Illinois prisons since at least 1990 because of the potential to incite hate and violence.

Thirty-six-year-old Halfmann is an inmate at the Centralia Correctional Center, serving time for predatory criminal sexual assault.

The former Catholic is expected to be released about 2030.