NCJ Number
198673
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 35 Issue: 3/4 Dated: 2002 Pages: 59-86
Editor(s)
Thomas P. O'Connor,
Nathaniel J. Pallone
Date Published
2002
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This paper explores the role of the prison chaplain in offender rehabilitation through an examination of the degree to which chaplains are supportive of rehabilitation as a goal of corrections, the chaplain’s role in correctional counseling, and whether chaplains utilize counseling styles and methods associated with effective correctional treatment.
Abstract
Since the beginning of penitentiaries, prison chaplains have played a significant and changing role in the lives of incarcerated offenders. Past and previous study accounts indicate that correctional counseling is an important part of prison ministry, however, it is uncertain whether chaplains view their counseling as rehabilitative or primarily religious and spiritual. This study set out to assess the role of the chaplain in offender rehabilitation through examining the chaplains’ support for rehabilitation, the extent to which chaplains were involved in counseling inmates, and the content of chaplains’ counseling services. In 1997, a sample of 500 chaplains identified by the American Correctional Association as employed in the United States were randomly selected to participate in this study. Several broad conclusions were drawn and included: (1) chaplains were supportive of the rehabilitative ideal; (2) chaplains integrated their religious and secular beliefs when counseling offenders; (3) chaplains appeared to utilize methods and styles of correctional counseling that were associated with treatment effectiveness or the treatment modalities favored by chaplains tended to converge with religious perspectives. Tables, references, and appendix