Prisons and Religion in the Americas

Abstract

Since the 1970s and Michel Foucault's work discipline and power, scholars of religion in the Americas have looked to prisons to track changing ideas about human behavior, wrongdoing and reconciliation, social organization, and citizenship. This article provides a brief transatlantic history of the prison and scholarship on prisons and religion. It surveys work by historians, sociologists and anthropologists, and theologians and ethicists. It shows that religions have served as not only the material from which societies construct their disciplinary forms but also a resource upon which individuals draw when labeled criminal and communities invoke when seeking reform.

‘It's as if you're not in the Jail, as if you're not a Prisoner’: Young Male Offenders’ Experiences of Incarceration, Prison Chaplaincy, Religion and Spirituality in Scotland and Denmark

“…Despite this, there is a distinct lack of knowledge about the role that religion and spirituality can potentially play in prisons as a means of stimulating identity and behaviour change and increasing commitment towards desistance (see O'Connor and Duncan ; Hallett and McCoy ). While some studies have found evidence that religious or spiritual practices can provide offenders with a positive resource to draw upon in prison which may help to deter conflict and violence among inmates (Kerley, Matthews and Schulz ; Graber ), others cite a serious lack of tangible evidence to support their impact on preventing recidivism (see Giordano et al . ; Whitehead ).…”

Religion and the Japanese American Incarceration

“…The Japanese American incarceration camps present a peculiar space for the study of religion. One could refer to scholarship on religion and prisons for guidance (Graber ) or studies of religion and race (Chang ), religious liberty (Sullivan ), or religion during World War II (Issel ). Based on his personal experience, camp newspapers, and sociological data collected in camp, Lester Suzuki's book Ministry in the Assembly and Relocation Centers of World War II () provides descriptions of Christian worship and fellowship in the camps, but offers no analysis.…”