Career
He serves as the National Prison Affairs Coordinator for the Lady Liberty League, and is the Director of Public for Cherry Hill Seminary. In 1997, after the settlement of a case involving a Wiccan inmate, the California Attorney General" General’ s Office asked McCollum to serve as a Wiccan chaplain, making him the first government-recognized Wiccan chaplain. Subsequently, he has served as a statewide correctional chaplain for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
According to the Finding of Fact by the United States. District Court in McCollum, et al. v.
CDCR, et al., "Plaintiff Patrick McCollum is a Wiccan clergyman who became a volunteer chaplain at the California Corrections Institution (“CCI”) Tehachapi in January 1998. By February 2000, McCollum served as a volunteer, non-salaried Wiccan chaplain for all 33 CDCR correctional institutions." He is currently engaged in litigation in the United States 9th Circuit Court (McCollum, et al v CDCR, et al, C 04-03339 CRB) challenging the California Department of Corrections" "Five Faiths" policy which recognizes only five major world religions for inclusion in California"s prison chaplaincy program
A summary judgment was filed on February 23, 2009, claiming that McCollum did not have proper standing in the case, and is currently under appeal. Appellants" brief was filed on November 19, 2009.
On February 5, 2008, McCollum testified before the United States Commission on Civil Rights, and his remarks were widely quoted in the Commission"s report entitled "Enforcing Religious Freedom in Prison" (pdf).