Correctional Chaplains

Correctional Chaplains
Author: W Thomas Beckner
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2021-10-04
Genre:
ISBN:

Dr. Beckner briefly reviews the history of correctional chaplaincy and its development within the American criminal justice system and summarizes several significant studies of the profession. He examines the critical premises on which chaplaincy rests and presents a unique structural model of chaplaincy consisting of four critical dimensions: personal, pastoral, administrative, and community. Beckner then shows how this paradigm serves as a template for the development of a chaplaincy plan that will meet the needs of a specific institutional setting and can be monitored for effective results.

Prison Chaplains on the Beat in US and UK Prisons

Prison Chaplains on the Beat in US and UK Prisons
Author: George Walters-Sleyon, PhD
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2021-08-10
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1977238858

This book is about prison chaplains and their care for aging, dying, and dead prisoners in the penal systems of the United States and the United Kingdom. Since the 18th century, prison chaplains have served as priests and pastoral caregivers to prisoners and prison staff. The book traces the historical roles of prison chaplains in developing the managerial aspects of prisons, focusing on their presence, best practices, and ways of conceptualizing their prison experiences in the modern prison cultures of the United States and the United Kingdom. While prison chaplains have historically provided care to prisoners, prison chaplaincy after 1970 has transformed. This book shows how prison chaplains face new challenges in caring for prisoners under the penal policies and practices of mass incarceration. Prison Chaplains on the Beat demonstrates how prison chaplains have conceptualized the practice of providing pastoral care to aging, dying, and dead prisoners in the United States and the United Kingdom through a person-centered approach. The book is both theoretical and empirical. The empirical aspect focuses on the prison experiences of 31 prison chaplains from the United States and Scotland. The theoretical aspect provides a conceptual understanding of the multi-faceted roles of prison chaplains in the United States, Scotland, and England and Wales. As a research in comparative criminal justice, it argues that prison chaplains are fundamentally indispensable to prison management practices and managerial theories in the United States, Scotland, and England and Wales post-1970. “Powerfully combines historical and empirical approaches to religion in prisons. Brings new understanding of the pastoral and prophetic roles of prison chaplains and launches a searing ethical critique of mass incarceration. The comparisons between the United States and Britain are instructive for current and future prison policy in both locations.” Dr. David Grumett, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, UK “George Walters-Sleyon’s *Prison Chaplains on the Beat* offers a new perspective on the predicaments of contemporary penal politics and practices, especially their racialized harms. Chaplains are both observers of and participants in the contemporary prison scene, and their perspective is a special, but hitherto under-reported one. By reconsidering our carceral condition through this lens, Walters-Sleyon illuminatingly re-states the moral and political challenges of mass incarceration.” Dr. Richard Sparks, School of Law, University of Edinburgh, UK

A Prison Chaplaincy Manual

A Prison Chaplaincy Manual
Author: Donald Stoesz
Publisher: FriesenPress
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2020-07-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 152557244X

The manual provides a rationale for chaplaincy by using Winnifred Sullivan's three categories of religious secularism, irreligious secularism, and areligious secularism to outline the essential and transforming value of spiritual care services (preface, introduction). The manual provides a history of justice initiatives and chaplaincy services in a Canadian context (chapters one and two). The manual provides a rationale for spiritual care-giver training by showing how chaplaincy courses at a university level can build on the competencies of leadership and core knowledge that many ministers, rabbis, imams, priests, nuns, and other faith group representatives have. Emotional intelligence, professional practice skills, and diversity are additional competencies needed for spiritual care-givers to become effective prison chaplains (chapters three to six). Six principles shape the content of this book: (1) integration of chaplaincy into corrections (chapters three to six) (2) understanding of prison dynamics (chapters seven to ten), (3) complementary use of sociology and psychology (chapters eleven to fourteen), (4) provision of faith formation, rites and rituals, programs, pastoral care, and a ministry of presence (chapters fifteen to eighteen), (5) ecumenical and multi-faith religious accommodation (chapters nineteen to twenty-one) and (6) professional development (chapters twenty-four and twenty-five). The manual concludes with a statement of best practices by Dr. Thomas Beckner, long-time chaplaincy educator (Correctional Chaplains: Keepers of the Cloak, p. 24). "Chaplains are to have highly polished counselling skills, strong management and facilitation abilities, a working knowledge of various faith group requirements . . . and a strong commitment to serve all residents of the institution regardless of their faith identity or lack thereof."

Karma and Punishment

Karma and Punishment
Author: Adam J. Lyons
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2021
Genre: Capital punishment
ISBN: 9780674260153

A groundbreaking study of prison religion, Karma and Punishment introduces a form of chaplaincy rooted in the Buddhist concept of doctrinal admonition. Through research and fieldwork, Adam Lyons uncovers a dimension of Buddhist modernism that developed as Japan's religious organizations carved out a niche as defenders of society by fighting crime.

Essential Chaplain Skill Sets

Essential Chaplain Skill Sets
Author: Chaplain Keith Evans
Publisher: WestBow Press
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2017-08-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1973600102

Chaplaincy is an active force in the realm of ministry to a world that is hurting and needing a moment of empathy and an encouraging word of hope. In Essential Chaplain Skill Sets, author Chaplain Keith Evans lays the initial foundations of chaplaincy, its need, what it is, who can be a chaplain, and further develops the cornerstone of skills employed in chaplaincy. Essential Chaplain Skill Sets is an easy-to-read book that is full of practical tools and resources that chaplains of all ministry settings and experience levels can quickly utilize and master. The four main sections of the book are: 1) The Fundamentals: The Why, What, Who, and How of Chaplaincy, 2) Understanding Spirituality and World Faith Expressions, 3) Understanding Spiritual Needs Assessments, and 4) Bringing the Pieces Together. The fourth section is very practical. It includes eight real-life ‘verbatims’ of chaplain encounters. A list of additional questions have been included at the end of each verbatim that allow readers (individual or in groups) to evaluate how they may have conducted the encounter differently or not. "What you have with "Essential Chaplain Skill Sets" is a pastoral practitioner's guide to proven skills learned through compassionate care and competent practice. Keith is a pastoral clinician sharing out of his own experience and doing his part to assist his pastoral colleagues in congregational and clinical settings and building upon their own art of pastoral care. He is a pragmatic realist and a patient teacher. Thank you, Keith, for this good companion book for those of us on the journey of becoming better clinical pastors." - Rev. Mark Hart, DMin,BCC, ACPE Supervisor, Director of Clinical Pastoral Education, Baptist Health System, San Antonio, Texas" Evans draws from his in-depth experience in law enforcement and trauma chaplaincy in creating this primer for chaplains serving in any ministry setting. Evans covers key fundamental concepts for any chaplain to become more effective in their role, as well as discussing spirituality and world faith expressions, and how to master spiritual need assessments. He addresses what chaplains are, how they are engaged, what they look like, and what the initial outcomes can be as a result of their employment. He describes the importance of having well-meaning, devoted chaplains to help people on their spiritual journeys. In Essential Chaplain Skill Sets, Evans shares well-respected resources and learned lessons geared toward assisting any chaplain of any faith background in any ministry setting.

Confessions of a Prison Chaplain

Confessions of a Prison Chaplain
Author: Mary Brown
Publisher: Waterside Press
Total Pages: 139
Release: 2014
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1909976040

Mary Brown’s engaging book describes the ‘lifeline’ work of the prison chaplaincy. Written by a Quaker chaplain, it shows how important to prisoners this contact is and how it blends into the ever-pressing world of prison regimes. Among the topics covered are the ‘statutory duties’ of chaplains, forgiveness, ‘prison chapel goers’, Christmas in prison, delivering bad news, dealing with grief or anxiety, learning in prisonand restorative justice (which is in line with the teachings of many faiths: as old as religion itself). As the author insists, there is ‘that of God’ to be found in everyone no matter what their crime. Critical, perceptive and of particular interest to people working in or learning about crime and punishment, Confessions of a Prison Chaplain contains insights for people of all faiths (or none); looks at restorative justice and positive justice; and re-affirms the importance of pastoral support in the reform and rehabilitation of prisoners.

Death Row Chaplain

Death Row Chaplain
Author: Earl Smith
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2016-04-19
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1476777780

A riveting, behind-the-bars look at one of America's most feared prisons: San Quentin-- by a minister to the lost souls sitting on death row. Himself a former criminal, Smith shares the most important lessons he's learned from years of helping inmates discover God's plan for them. Their stories show us that it is still possible to find God's grace and mercy from behind bars, and that it's never too late to turn our lives around.

Unheard Voices

Unheard Voices
Author: Imelda Wickham
Publisher: Messenger Publications
Total Pages: 127
Release: 2021-06-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1788123395

This book is an attempt by the author to give us a brief human insight into life behind bars in one of our penal institutions. It is written from the perspective of someone who has walked the walk with the prisoner for twenty years and now questions the effectiveness of our criminal justice system. She is an advocate for a Restorative Justice System and sees this model as the way forward. She argues that true justice lies in healing for all involved in criminal behaviour, including victim, perpetrator and society. The second part of the book hears the voices of the prisoners in emotionally charged reflections on the reality of life within a prison cell. The author challenges the use of prisons to deal with addictions, mental health issues and homelessness.Where prisons are needed, as they are for a small cohort of people, they should be open institutions dedicated to rehabilitation based on the needs of the individual and on societal needs of the time.

Within These Walls

Within These Walls
Author: Rev. Carroll Pickett
Publisher: Crossroad Press
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2017-02-27
Genre: True Crime
ISBN:

FORMER TEXAS PRISON CHAPLAIN REV. CARROLL PICKETT, WORKING WITH TWO-TIME EDGAR AWARD WINNER AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR CARLTON STOWERS, PROVIDES THIS ELOQUENT, UNFLINCHING LOOK AT CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. Within These Walls is the powerful memoir of Rev. Carroll Pickett, who spent fifteen years as the death house chaplain at “The Walls,” the Huntsville unit of the Texas prison system. In that capacity, Reverend Pickett ministered to ninety-five men before they were put to death by lethal injection. They came with sinister nicknames like “The Candy Man” and “The Good Samaritan Killer,” some contrite, some angry—a few who might even have been innocent. All of them found in Reverend Pickett their last chance for an unbiased confessor who would look at them only as fellow humans, not simply as the convicted criminals the rest of society had already dismissed them as. This firsthand experience gave Reverend Pickett the unique insight needed to write an impassioned statement on the realities of capital punishment in America. The result is a thought-provoking and compelling book that takes the reader inside the criminal mind, inside the execution chamber, and inside the heart of a remarkable man who shares his thoughts and observations not only about capital punishment, but about the dark world of prison society

Refuge in Hell

Refuge in Hell
Author: Lemmert, Ronald, D.
Publisher: Orbis Books
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2018-08-23
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1608337502

Without romanticizing the prisoners in his stories, the author--who served for many years as the Catholic chaplain at Sing Sing prison--humanizes them, offers a compelling picture of the reality of an oppressive criminal justice system, and describes the challenge and joy of proclaiming the gospel in such an environment.