TRENTON, N.J. — The Wild Hunt received multiple requests to examine a New Jersey case that has drawn significant attention across social media, conservative commentary outlets, and discussions within Pagan and interfaith communities because it involves questions of Wiccan religious accommodation, transgender incarceration policy, prison administration, and the broader politics surrounding religion and identity in correctional settings. The underlying criminal case involves child sexual abuse and exploitation, and readers are advised that the subject matter is disturbing.
Marina Volz, 27, is a transgender inmate serving a sentence related to child pornography and child sexual abuse convictions stemming from a 2022 Somerset County case. Court records indicate that Volz and several co-defendants were convicted in connection with operating a pornography production operation involving exploitative material involving a minor. Court reporting indicates that one of the victims included Volz’s daughter. According to NJDOC records, Volz is currently incarcerated at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women and has a projected release date of May 27, 2044.
Separate from the criminal case, Volz has filed multiple civil actions involving prison conditions and treatment while incarcerated. In Voltz v. Somerset County Jail (Civil Action No. 20-13695), court filings identify the plaintiff as Marina Voltz, though New Jersey Department of Corrections records list the surname as Volz.
Volz alleged that she was initially classified as male while detained at Somerset County Jail, subjected to searches by male guards, and exposed to harassment by male inmates. The complaint asserted violations of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, the New Jersey Civil Rights Act, and the New Jersey Constitution.
The case was temporarily removed to federal court after county officials argued that references to the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act created federal jurisdiction. In May 2021, Chief Judge Freda L. Wolfson of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey rejected that argument and remanded the matter back to state court, ruling that the complaint relied primarily on state law claims. The court also noted that PREA does not create a private federal cause of action.
A separate lawsuit filed in 2023 concerns Volz’s claims that Wiccan inmates at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility were denied religious accommodations available to other faith groups. Portions of the complaint, circulated through media reports and screenshots of court filings, allege that prison officials restricted access to approved religious items, denied requests for ritual observances at appropriate times, prohibited certain ceremonial garments such as tabards, and limited the performance of Wiccan rituals. The complaint also references a request to maintain a “Witch’s Garden” and describes disputes over institutional approval of religious property.
The New Jersey Department of Corrections recognizes inmates’ rights to religious affiliation and worship while incarcerated, subject to institutional safety and operational requirements. The NJDOC family resource guide states that “each inmate shall have the right to freedom of religious affiliation and voluntary religious worship while incarcerated,” although those rights may be subject to “reasonable restrictions relative to the maintenance of a safe, secure, and orderly operation of a correctional facility.”
The same guide notes that religious services are overseen by correctional chaplaincy staff and that inmate property, contraband rules, and supervised gatherings are governed by institutional policy. Many prison systems across the United States maintain similar policies balancing religious accommodation with concerns involving contraband, supervision, staffing, and institutional order.
Recent reporting appears connected to settlement discussions involving additional accommodation requests allegedly submitted by Volz through counsel. Public reports describe requests involving expanded ritual practices, designation as a Wiccan religious leader within the institution, and a request to marry another incarcerated individual connected to the original criminal case. At the time of writing, The Wild Hunt has not been able to independently verify all underlying court filings or settlement documents related to these reported negotiations.
Coverage of the dispute in several conservative media outlets has frequently framed the case less as a question of prison religious accommodation and more as part of broader cultural conflicts surrounding transgender rights and incarceration policy. Headlines in various outlets have emphasized provocative or emotionally charged language connecting the criminal convictions to discussions of gender identity and Wiccan practice, often foregrounding the sensational aspects of the allegations rather than the legal framework governing inmates’ religious and individual rights.
In many of these reports, Wicca itself is portrayed through language associated with deviance, controversy, or skepticism about its being a genuine religion, rather than being contextualized as a legally recognized modern Pagan faith protected under established First Amendment and religious-liberty jurisprudence. Some coverage also conflates Wiccan ritual terminology with criminal conduct or broader political controversies unrelated to the underlying accommodation claims.
The Wild Hunt will continue to monitor developments in this case, as well as broader issues involving prison religious accommodation, minority faith rights, and inmate civil litigation.
The Wild Hunt is not responsible for links to external content.
To join a conversation on this post:
Visit our The Wild Hunt subreddit! Point your favorite browser to https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Wild_Hunt_News/, then click “JOIN”. Make sure to click the bell, too, to be notified of new articles posted to our subreddit.