BOISE _ The American Indian place of worship is ringed by fences with razor wire on top. The sweat lodge -- a tepee-shaped structure with a buffalo skull at its entrance -- is where inmates from Nez Perce, Sioux, Shoshone and other Indian tribes practice their faith.

"A week in this place can be trying. The heart gets heavy," said the inmate who heads tribal worship at the Idaho Correctional Center but did not want his name used. "It's an escape from the prison."

For 40 minutes, about 25 inmates at this minimum- and medium-security prison sing, drum and perspire as glowing rocks heat the sweat lodge to temperatures well above those of most saunas.

There are over a dozen faiths practiced at the prison, including the Odinist and Wiccan religions.

Wicca, often referred to as witchcraft or paganism, rejects the Christian concepts of heaven and hell, as well as God or Satan. It is the third most popular religion at the prison after Protestant and Catholic faiths, said Chaplain Paul Huben. Of the 1,089 inmates, about 30 are Wiccans.

"They are the group that gives me the least amount of grief," Huben said. "They don't harm anyone and believe people are born with magic."

The chaplain keeps what he calls a "toy box" -- a large see-through container filled with religious paraphernalia of different faiths. Among other items, there are Catholic rosary beads, a Rastafarian cap, Indian herbs and Jewish Chanukah candles.

And then there are about 10 Odinists, or pagans who worship Norse gods such as Thor and Odin.

Prison warden Glen Turner said part of the reason for the diverse religious faiths is more free time.

"When they come here, they experiment," Turner said. "They have much more time to research and learn and explore these issues."