Preface
Religion
and religious people have always been a presence in American prisons. Indeed, some
of the country’s first prisons were established at the urging of and with help
from people of faith, who hoped that inmates could be reformed during their
confinement.1
Today,
religious people still play an important role in the U.S. criminal justice system.
Almost all of the nation’s more than 1,100 state and federal prisons have at
least one paid chaplain or religious services coordinator, and collectively
they employ about 1,700 professional chaplains.2
These
ministers, priests, imams, rabbis and religious lay people sit at the
intersection of two social trends. The United States has the highest rate of
incarceration in the developed world, with approximately 2.3 million men and
women – or about 1-in-100 of the nation’s adults – behind bars.3
The U.S. also stands out among industrial democracies for its high levels of religious
commitment, with about four-in-ten American adults saying they attend religious
services weekly or more often, nearly six-in-ten saying that religion is very
important in their lives and more than nine-in-ten saying they believe in God
or a higher power.4
The
constitutional right of Americans to the free exercise of religion – even if
they are behind bars – has been affirmed by courts and bolstered by federal
legislation, and the first duty of prison chaplains is to help meet the
religious needs of inmates. But, increasingly, chaplains are asked to do much
more. In the face of studies suggesting that more than 40% of former inmates
end up back in prison within a few years, chaplains in many prisons are called
upon to fight recidivism by counseling inmates and connecting them with
religious organizations or other social service providers that can offer job
training, substance abuse treatment, education and other assistance before and
after their release.5
In
light of public concern about religious terrorism since the 9/11 attacks,
chaplains also are sometimes viewed as a first line of defense against the
spread of religious extremism. While they work to provide compassionate care to
individual inmates, chaplains are charged with assisting wardens and other
correctional officials to maintain the safety and security of the prisons where
they work. Indeed, chaplains often are considered part of a prison’s management
team.
Moreover,
the role of chaplains continues to be recast to suit the changing needs of the
correctional system. For instance, recent research suggests that, due to a
shortage of funding and staff, many chaplains have shifted their focus from direct
ministry to administrative duties, such as recruiting and supervising community
volunteers, processing inmate requests for special diets and other religious accommodations,
and organizing secular as well as religious programs to counsel, mentor and
educate inmates.6
For
all these reasons, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public
Life decided to conduct a large-scale survey of professional prison chaplains across
the United States. We received generous financial support for this endeavor
from the Annie E. Casey Foundation as well as from The Pew Charitable Trusts.
With the endorsement of the American Correctional Chaplains Association and
months of unrelenting effort, Pew Forum Senior Researcher Stephanie C. Boddie obtained
approval from correctional authorities in all 50 states to survey the more than
1,400 state prison chaplains.
With
the encouragement of present and former prison officials, we also sought permission
to include federal prison chaplains in the survey. Unfortunately, the Federal Bureau
of Prisons decided not to allow its approximately 250 chaplains to participate.
Part
of the impetus for the survey is that little data have been available to the
public on the role of religion in state prisons.7 State and federal correctional authorities routinely report information on the
age, sex and race/ethnic origin of prisoners, as well as the types of offenses for
which they are incarcerated. And, according to the chaplains surveyed, many
prisons also keep track of the religious preferences of inmates, as well as of
religious switching. But those data are seldom or never made public.
As
a result, “Religion in Prisons: A 50-State Survey of Prison Chaplains” presents
a rare window into religion behind bars. Although chaplains, like all observers,
undoubtedly bring their own perspectives and predilections to bear, they also occupy
a valuable vantage point as correctional workers who have regular, often
positive interactions with inmates and take a strong interest in the role of
religion in inmates’ lives.
The
survey covers a lot of ground, asking chaplains to describe their daily role in the prisons and to rate
their job satisfaction. In addition, we asked them to list the tasks on which
they spend the most time and the tasks they consider most important – two lists
that are not always the same. We sought their assessments of religious
volunteers who come into the prisons to work with inmates, as well as their perspectives
on the strengths and weaknesses of the correctional system, the quality and
reach of rehabilitation programs and possible ways of cutting costs.
We also asked for their impressions about
religious life in prisons, including the religious composition of the inmate
population, the amount of proselytizing and conversion that take place, which
religious groups seem to be growing or shrinking, and how much religious
extremism they perceive in the prisons where they work. At several key points
in the survey questionnaire – which was administered either electronically or,
for those who preferred it, by paper – we gave the chaplains an opportunity to
elaborate on their views and experiences in their own words.
Their answers suggest that religion in prisons
may be quite different, in some ways, from religion in American society at
large. For example, chaplains indicate that there is a visible presence in some
prisons of small religious groups that many Americans may never have heard of,
such as Asatru, Odinism and the Moorish Science Temple of America. (For brief
definitions, see Appendix D: Glossary.) A number of chaplains also think
that some inmates claim to belong to particular religious groups solely to
obtain privileges or benefits, such as kosher food. But, on the whole,
chaplains had many positive things to say about the role of religion in
rehabilitating inmates. Most are also very happy in their jobs. Though the
picture that emerges is complicated and sometimes surprising, our hope is that
the survey will contribute to a better understanding of the role that chaplains
– and, more broadly, religion – play in the lives of inmates.
Acknowledgments
In preparing this survey, the Pew Forum received
invaluable advice from a number of eminent scholars and experts in the criminal
corrections field. They include Todd Clear, dean of Rutgers School of Criminal
Justice; John DiIulio, the Frederic Fox Leadership Professor of Politics,
Religion, and Civil Society at the University of Pennsylvania; Catherine A. Gallagher, associate
professor in Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University; Tom O’Connor, CEO of Transforming Corrections
and former research manager for the Oregon Department of Corrections; Jody
Sundt, assistant professor and graduate coordinator in the Division of
Criminology and Criminal Justice at Portland State University; Farid Senzai, fellow and director of
research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding; and Sister Susan
Van Baalen, former chief chaplain at the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Several
other scholars generously provided feedback and assistance at various stages in
the conceptualization of the project. A complete list of advisers can be found
in Appendix E.
As
previously noted, the survey received a very helpful endorsement from the
American Correctional Chaplains Association (ACCA). We would like to thank its
leadership team, particularly Anthony J. Bruno, current chancellor and past
president of the ACCA and director of religious services at the Connecticut
Department of Correction; Dale Hale, president of the ACCA and Salvation Army
major; Gary Friedman, communications chairman for the ACCA and chairman of Jewish
Prisoner Services International; and
Stephen Hall, first vice president of the ACCA and director of religious and
volunteer services at the Indiana Department of Correction.
Also as previously noted, the survey received
substantial funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, where Carole E.
Thompson was an unstinting – and patient – supporter of this effort.
Fieldwork for the survey was carried out by Social
Science Research Solutions (SSRS) and very competently led by Robyn Rapoport and Linda Lomelino.
While the survey design was guided by our advisers, contractors and consultants,
the Pew Forum is solely responsible for the interpretation and reporting of the
data.
Luis
Lugo, Director
Alan Cooperman,
Associate Director, Research
Footnotes:
1 For an account of religion’s role in the early history of prisons in America,
see Jennifer Graber, “The Furnace of Affliction: Prisons and Religion in
Antebellum America,” University of North Carolina Press, 2011. (return to text)
2 In addition to state and federal prisons, the U.S. penal system also includes
county and city jails that typically hold people awaiting trial and those
sentenced for misdemeanors to terms of one year or less. For more details on
the prison system, see Appendix C. (return to text)
3 As of 2010, one in every 104 U.S. adults was in the custody of state or federal
prisons or local jails, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. See Lauren
E. Glaze, “Correctional Population in the United States, 2010 (PDF),” U.S. Department
of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2011.
See also “One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008,” Pew Center on the States,
Public Safety Performance Project, February 2008. (return to text)
4 For measures of religious commitment in the U.S., see “U.S. Religious Landscape
Survey,” Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, 2007. For measures of
religious commitment in other countries, see “Unfavorable Views of Jews and
Muslims on the Increase in Europe,” Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes
Project, 2008. (return to text)
5 See “State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America’s Prisons,” Pew Center
on the States, Public Safety Performance Project, 2011. (return to text)
6 See Richard Denis Shaw, “Chaplains to the Imprisoned: Sharing Life With the
Incarcerated,” Haworth Press, 1995, and Jody L. Sundt, Harry R. Dammer and
Francis T. Cullen, “The Role of the Prison Chaplain in Rehabilitation,” Journal
of Offender Rehabilitation, Volume 35, Issue 3/4, pages 59-86, 2002. (return to text)
7 Some data on the religious affiliation of inmates in federal prisons and
selected state prisons as of 2007 are available from the United States
Commission on Civil Rights. See “Enforcing Religious Freedom in Prison (PDF),” United
States Commission on Civil Rights, 2008. (return to text)
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