Religion provides a vital sense of meaning, belonging, and personal transformation for many incarcerated individuals. Yet in many US prisons, systemic barriers prevent them from practicing their faiths, leaving spiritual needs unmet and rights denied. These gaps in religious accommodation raise critical questions: How can correctional facilities fully respect inmates' religious liberty? What barriers stand in the way? How can previous uninformed, discriminatory attitudes of prison officials be transformed to accommodate inmates’ search for meaning and purpose through diverse religions/spiritualities? What impact might fully embracing religious liberty have on inmates’ well-being, prison culture, and, ultimately, society?
This project addresses these questions in four ways:
1) A narrative book will recount the Project Leader’s nearly three decades of experience as a volunteer chaplain, advocate for religion in prison, and trainer of prison officials on diverse religions and the law in a previous training program, which shifted attitudes and fostered cultures of mutual respect.
2) The project will expand that program across the US.
3) Comprehensive research and journal articles will study the impact of religious liberty law and this project’s programs on institutional change.
4) An online repository of educational resources will be accessible publicly. These outputs aim to inspire long-lasting correctional institution change, making religious liberty a tangible reality for all inmates.
But the stakes go beyond the prison walls. Prisons can serve as microcosmic examples for society—spaces where personal transformation is cultivated via spiritual seeking. The ripple effect could influence how society understands the power of a pluralism that embraces liberty of conscience in all its expressions. Addressing the intersection of religious liberty and prisons offers a vision for a more compassionate future grounded in respect for the diverse experiences that define our humanity.
