Religious Groups and Prison Reform

• NCJ Number: 87582
• Journal: Editorial Research Reports Volume: 1 Issue: 8 Dated: (February 26, 1982) Pages: 151-168
• Author(s): J Rosenblatt
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 18 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Religious groups have sought reform not only in the spiritual lives of individual offenders but also in the institutional forms of corrections, such as reduction in prison overcrowding through the limited use of mandatory prison sentences and the increased use of community programs for nonviolent offenders.

Abstract

Religious groups currently active inside prisons, particularly those representing the Muslim faith and Christian Evangelicalism, are changing some inmates' lives by helping them to see themselves as worthwhile persons who can become contributing members of a community rather than negative influences and outcasts. Muslims have focused on securing the loyalty of black inmates and have frequently resorted to litigation to eliminate barriers to the practice of the Muslim religion in prison. Christian Evangelical groups such as the Prison Fellowship founded by Charles Colson, special counsel to President Nixon from 1969 to 1973, have focused upon individual ministries to inmates and their families, including Bible study seminars and individual and group counseling. While many corrections officials are skeptical about the intentions of inmates who become involved with such groups and the lasting effect of religious influences after release, those involved in these religious ministries claim significant success in changing offender lifestyles. Various religious groups also have focused on the need for institutional reform that will facilitate the reform of individual offenders. Prison is generally seen by these groups to be a detrimental influence that should not be used except for violent offenders. Mandatory sentencing is viewed as fuel for prison overcrowding and as not being cost-effective. Alternatives to prison which use community services and the community context for reform are generally favored by religious groups. Thirty-nine footnotes and 17 references are provided.