Prison religion
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Prison religion includes the religious beliefs and practices of prison inmates, usually stemming from or including concepts surrounding their imprisonment and accompanying lifestyle.[1]
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[edit] History
Religion being found and/or expressed in the setting of a prison or jail cell can be traced back several thousands of years; the Bible mentions a few instances of this.[2]
In 1987, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that prison inmates retain constitutional rights, including that of religion.[3]
Recent studies[4] suggest that the practice of religion significantly reduces the chance of prisoners to engage in verbal or physical altercations, and increases the likelihood of reform after completing prison sentence time.
[edit] Criticism
Most US courts consider religion in prisons to be an easily abused right; many cases are brought to light regarding racist religions that encourage inmates to harbor violent or otherwise hostile attitudes toward others.[3][5] In addition, several people find that Islam tends to be a popular religion to convert to in United States prisons, but the variety found there is often much closer to terrorist ideals. [6]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- How to Start a Prison Ministry - Frances Jett, General Board of Church and Society
- PrisonMinistry.net - International Network of Prison Ministries
[edit] References
- ^ Religion in Prison - Harry R. Dammer, University of Scranton
- ^ Paul and Silas Imprisoned, The Philippian Jailer Saved - King James Version of the Bible, BibleGateway.com
- ^ a b Radical Religion in Prison - Brian Levin, Intelligence Report, Southern Poverty Law Center, Fall 2003
- ^ UAB Study Finds Religion Helps Reduce Negative Prison Behaviors - Gail Short, UAB.edu, citing Todd Matthews and Troy Blanchard, Ph.D. study published in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, December 2005
- ^ Supreme Court Rules on Religion in Prison - The Pew Forum, Religion News, citing Linda Greenhouse, New York Times, 1 June 2005
- ^ The Prison Preacher Problem - Stephen Schwartz, New York Post
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