The goal of this book is to provide an overview for psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clergy, corrections professionals, and volunteers of the role that chaplains play in assisting prison management in the rehabilitation of offenders in addition to their ministerial and administrative responsibilities. Organized into six sections, the first discusses the role chaplains play, the need for prison ministry, fundamental counseling skills, and social theories of crime. Chapter 2 is concerned with crime, delinquency theories, and substance abuse and its treatment and prevention. Chapter 3 discusses how ministry can be wholesome when family fears, poverty, classism, and other issues such as prostitution, juvenile justice, and education are confronted and dealt with. Chapter 4 presents issues concerned with parenting, self-esteem, guilt, anger, and managing negative emotions. Chapter 5 discusses the need for community support such as mentorship and minister of record involvement in the lives of inmates. It also presents Christian treatment modalities such as evangelism, discipleship, and spiritual formation in therapy. The final chapter discusses nontraditional religions encountered in prison, the Religious Freedom Reformation Act, cults, occults, volunteers, and how to organize a prison ministry. This unique book, written from a Christian perspective, presents a comprehensive plan for chaplains and other members of a corrections team to bring a spiritual and humane dimension to prison rehabilitation efforts.

This book examines how prisons meet challenges of religious diversity, in an era of increasing multiculturalism and globalization. Social scientists studying corrections have noted the important role that religious or spiritual practice can have on rehabilitation, particularly for inmates with coping with stress, mental health and substance abuse issues. In the past, the historical figure of the prison chaplain operated primarily in a Christian context, following primarily a Christian model. Increasingly, prison populations (inmates as well as employees) display diversity in their ethnic, cultural, religious and geographic backgrounds. As public institutions, prisons are compelled to uphold the human rights of their inmates, including religious freedom. Prisons face challenges in approaching religious plurality and secularism, and maintaining prisoners' legal rights to religious freedom. The contributions to this work present case studies that examine how prisons throughout Europe have approached challenges of religious diversity. Featuring contributions from the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, this interdisciplinary volume includes contributions from social and political scientists, religion scholars and philosophers examining the role of religion and religious diversity in prison rehabilitation. It will be of interest to researchers in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Social and Political Science, Human Rights, Public Policy, and Religious Studies.

This volume offers a European overview of the management of religious diversity in prisons and provides readers with rich empirical material and a comparative perspective. The chapters combine both legal and sociological approaches. Coverage for each country includes historical background, current penitentiary organization, and recent changes or trends. In their exploration of legal aspects, the contributors look at such factors as the status of prison chaplains and regulations concerning religious practice and religious freedom. These include meals, prayers, and visits. The sociological analysis examines religious discrimination in prison, church-prison relations, conversion and proselytism, and more. The European coverage includes countries for which such information is seldom available. The book offers readers a better understanding of governance of religion in prisons. This text appeals to students, researchers and professionals in the field.

The overall rate of incarceration in the United States has been on the rise since 1970s, skyrocketing during Ronald Reagan's presidency, and recently reaching unprecedented highs. Looking for innovative solutions to the crises produced by gigantic prison populations, Florida's Department of Corrections claims to have found a partial remedy in the form of faith and character-based correctional institutions (FCBIs). While claiming to be open to all religious traditions, FCBIs are almost always run by Protestants situated within the politics of the Christian right. The religious programming is typically run by the incarcerated along with volunteers from outside the prison. Stoddard takes the reader deep inside FCBIs, analyzing the subtle meanings and difficult choices with which the incarcerated, prison administrators, staff, and chaplains grapple every day. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research and historical analysis, Brad Stoddard argues that FCBIs build on and demonstrate the compatibility of conservative Christian politics and neoliberal economics. Even without authoritative data on whether FCBIs are assisting rehabilitation and reducing recidivism rates, similar programs are appearing across the nation—only Iowa has declared them illegal under non-establishment-of-religion statutes. Exposing the intricate connections among incarceration, neoliberal economics, and religious freedom, Stoddard makes a timely contribution to debates about religion's role in American society.

From Executive summary: This report focuses on the government's efforts to enforce federal civil rights laws prohibiting religious discrimination in the administration and management of federal and state prisons. Prisoners in federal and state institutions retain certain religious exercise rights under the Constitution and statutes including the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUPIPA), the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), and the Civil rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA). Many states have similar provisions in their state constitutions and in state law modeled on RFRA. These rights must be balanced with the legitimate concerns of prisons officials, including cost, staffing, and most importantly, prison safety and security. Reconciling these rights and concerns can be a significant challenge for penal institutions, as well as courts.

Religion in Corrections provides information and guidelines for dealing with inmates who practice religion while incarcerated. It includes a chapter on the history of religion in prison and reveals why it is important for correctional personnel to understand the religious inmate and his or her practices. It also discusses the legal rights of the religious inmate and discusses the current status of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). This course includes descriptions of traditional and "new" religious groups, examines how to identify members and discusses various religious artifacts. Also includes a chapter devoted to the civilians who administer religious services and security problems that may arise when dealing with a religious inmate. Equivalent to 24 hours of in-service training. Final test, certificate.

Examines role of Anglican chaplaincy in multi-faith prison population; compares with American situation.