Articles, Lectures and Papers

The following articles, lectures and papers are sorted into two broad categories: Papers Presented at IPCA Conference and General Scholarly Articles Related to Prison Chaplaincy. The former are sorted by date beginning with the most recent conference. The latter are sorted alphabetically by title. Recently added articles will be posted in a box at the top for a period of time to highlight there presence. Please use the contact us form to submit a item for inclusion on the web page. If possible please submit the item as a PDF and provide a summary paragraph as well as assurance that permission is given to post the item here.
New Articles
Blessed Be the Social Tie That Binds: The Effects of Prison Visitation on Offender Recidivism
Criminal Justice Policcy Review
Grant Duwe and Valerie Clark
Summary: This study examines the effects of prison visitation on recidivism among 16,420 offenders released from Minnesota prisons between 2003 and 2007. Using multiple measures of visitation (any visit, total number of visits, visits per month, timing of visits, and number of individual visitors) and recidivism (new offense conviction and technical violation revocation), we found that visitation significantly decreased the risk of recidivism, a result that was robust across
all of the Cox regression models that were estimated. The results also showed that visits from siblings, in-laws, fathers, and clergy were the most beneficial in reducing the risk of recidivism, whereas visits from ex-spouses significantly increased the risk. The findings suggest that revising prison visitation policies to make them more “visitor friendly” could yield public safety benefits by helping offenders establish a continuum of social support from prison to the community. We anticipate, however, that revising existing policies would not likely increase visitation to a significant extent among unvisited inmates, who comprised 39% of our sample. Accordingly, we suggest that correctional systems consider allocating greater resources to increase visitation among inmates with little or no social support. The complete article can be found here.
Guideline on Informaiton Exchange between Chaplains and CSC Staff
Dwight Cuff, Regional Chaplain
Correctional Service of Canada Publication
Summary: Chaplains and CSC staff hold a wide range of opinions on the subject of when and how chaplains should share information about offenders with staff. These opinions are often based upon deeply held personal convictions. In fact, few Chaplaincy issues evoke such a cross section of responses. Chaplains, therefore, need to approach the place of providing information within the context of correctional ministry with a great deal of discernment. Read the whole paper here.
Guidelines for the Work of the Churches in Prisons: Commission for the Spiritual Care of Prisoners, 2009
Christian Council of Sweden
Summary: A useful document that summarizes the direction and goals that should guide the work of Swedish Churches in their work with prisoners in Sweden. This document may be useful for other countries as they seek to articulate the role of Churches with corrections. You can read the full text here.
A Summary of the Clergy Penitent Privilege as per the State of Oregon
Tom O'Connor, Transforming Correction
You can read the document here.
Minister to Prisoners
Ted Hughes
Celebrate, Fall 2011
A thoughtful article inviting congregations to consider how they can minister to offenders and ex-offenders. "Jesus was truly 'tough on crime' he conquered it through forgiveness and compassion, offering restoration and redemption." Read the whole article here.
Papers Presented at IPCA Conferences
IPCA: Connecting Prison Chaplains Globally, A New Vision
Rev. Dr. Dwight Cuff
August 2010 LINK
Alpha for Prisons
Author
IPCA 2010
A $27 Evidenced Based Solution for Lifting People out of Crime: Research Findings and Skill Development for Chaplains and Volunteers
Tom O'Connor & Jeff Duncan
!PCA VI, 2010: Forgotten People
Correctional Chaplains Calming the Storms of Life
Paul Rogers
President, ACCA
February 2003, Corrections Today
Defending Human Rights at the National and International Level
Hans Corell
!PCA VI, 2010: Forgotten People
The values upon which international law is based are often similar to the values
expressed in different religious sources. But it is important that we do not mix religion and the secular here. International law should be acceptable to all people, and this is precisely why the United Nations as one of its first measures adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Evidence Based Adult Corrections Programs: What Works and What Does Not
Washington State Institue for Public Policy
Source
This study provides a comprehensive review of evidence-based programs for adult offenders. We asked a simple question: What works, if anything, to lower the criminal recidivism rates of adult offenders? To provide an answer, we systematically reviewed the evidence from 291 rigorous evaluations conducted throughout the United States and other English-speaking countries during the last 35 years.
Needs Based Ministry
Joe Pryor
!PCA VI, 2010: Forgotten People
Prisons and Human Dignity: Are The Compatible?
Andrew Coyle
IPCA 2010: Forgotten People
Prison Ministry with Hill Tribes in Thailand
Rev.Dr.Chuleepran Srisoontorn
!PCA VI, 2010: Forgotten People
Prisons, Poverty and Justice
Baroness Vivien Stern
!PCA VI, 2010: Forgotten People
Reconcilliation in Rwanda and Restorative Justice
Good News Jail and Prison Ministry, Rwanda
!PCA VI, 2010: Forgotten People
Sources of Injustice in Our Prison Ministry and Some Ways to Cope With Them
Bruno Van der Maat
!PCA VI, 2010: Forgotten People
Summary: We are all used to a certain amount of injustice in our prison ministry. It seems to be part of our surrounding: ill treatment, violation of human rights, etc. Of course we are bound to denounce this situation and to try to restore the harm done as well as intent to prevent all this from happening again. It is no secret that the justice and penal systems tend to bias against the most vulnerable population groups who are unable to defend themselves properly. The poor, illiterate, women, children and youth, the elderly, sick people and psychiatric patients, people dependent on drug abuse, strangers, etc. are among the most vulnerable. It is evident that our prison ministry should direct its efforts primarily to these people, in a clear Preferential Option for the Poor, as Jesus would have done. I am pretty sure that we all know this and that we all to our utmost to counter this situation.
The Spiritual Dimension of the Prison Chaplain
Pierre Allard
May 2008
IPCA, Springe Germany
General Scholarly Articles Related to Prison Chaplaincy
Best Practices for Interfaith Work
Christopher Stedman
The New Humanism
Collabroating with the Community, Trained Volunteers and Faith Traditions: Building Social Capacity and Making Meaning to Support Desistance
Tom O'Connor and Brad Bogue
Offender Supervision: New Directions in Theory, Research and Practice
Willan Publishing, Edited by: Fergus McNeill
Summary: A chapter from their book that tells a story about volunteers, community organizations and faith traditions working alongside probation and parole officers to support men and women in their desistance process.
Community Supervision: Context and Relationships Matter
Fergus McNeil
Youth Crime and Justice: Critical Issues
Summary: This article explores the relationships between evidence, policy and practice in community-based interventions with young offenders.
Comparative International Rates of Incarceration: An Examination of Causes and Trends
Marc Mauer
June 20, 2003
The Sentencing Project
The Effect of Faith Program Participation on Prison Misconduct: The Life Connections Program
Scott D. Camp, Dawn M. Daggett, Okyun Kwon, Jody Klien-Saffan
Journal of Criminal Justice
Summary: Faith-based programming is one of the many tools for preparing inmates for successful reentry into society. The current study used official records of inmate misconduct and attitudinal survey data to investigate whether participation in a faith based program reduced the likelihood of of prison misconduct.
Evidence Based Adult Corrections Programs: What Works and What Does Not
Washington State Institute for Public Policy
January 2008
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive review of evidence-based programs for adult offenders. We asked a simple question: What works, if anything, to lower the criminal recidivism rates of adult offenders? To provide an answer, we systematically reviewed the evidence from 291 rigorous evaluations conducted throughout the United States and other English-speaking countries during the last 35 years.
We find that some types of adult corrections programs have a demonstrated ability to reduce crime, but other types do not. The implication is clear: Washington’s adult corrections system will be more successful in
reducing recidivism rates if policy focuses on proven evidence-based approaches.
Greater Community Involvement Needed for Prison Reform: Moody
Laurie Schreiber
Prison Reform
Summary: Clergy can be at the forefront of prison reform but the larger community must also become involved.
Implementing Evidence-Based Policy and Practice in Community Corrections
Meghan Guevara, Crime and Justice Institute and Enver Solomon
Crime and Justice Institute and
the National Institute of Corrections
Summary: This paper was developed as part of a set of papers focused on the role of system stakeholders in reducing offender recidivism through the use of evidence-based practices in corrections.
Mental Heath and Drug and Alcohol Addiction in the Federal Correctional System
Report of the Standing Committee on
Public Safety and National Security
Summary: Correctional institutions in Canada, like those in many countries, including Norway and England, accommodate large numbers of inmates suffering from mental disorders and drug and alcohol addiction. In Canada, some 80% of offenders serving prison sentences of two years or more have problems with drugs and/or alcohol. Approximately one in ten male inmates (12%), and one in five female inmates (21%), suffer from serious mental disorders upon admission to a federal correctional institution.
Motivational Interviewing: Training in Criminal Justice: Development of a Plan
Melissa Alexander, U.S. Probation, Eastern District of Missouri
Scott W. VanBenschoten, Office of Probation and Pretrial Services Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
Scott T. Walters, University of Texas School of Public Health
Federal Probation, Volume 72 Number 2
Summary: MI is intended as an additional tool for officers to use as they provide supervision and services to offenders. MI is not a replacement for everything officers currently use, nor is it appropriate for all situations. In many ways MI is still in its infancy as it relates to criminal justice, though many research projects underway are focused on better understanding the role and effectiveness of MI in criminal justice settings (see Walters et al., 2007). The training plan outlined here was developed to ensure quality training of federal probation officers, in order to increase the likelihood that officers become proficient in their use of MI. The authors hope that the plan will continue to be informed by the experience of districts utilizing the plan, with modifications occurring as needed.
Native Spirituality Behind Bars
Evelyn Zellerer
School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University
Summary: This paper proposes and discusses a policy for Native spirituality in Canadian correctional institutions. The policy intent is to provide a structure to uphold the fundamental right to spiritual freedom for Native inmates. The paper begins with a brief overview of the history of Native policy, Native spirituality, and Corrections Canada. It concludes with a critical appraisal of the policy including expected barriers to and support for its implementation.
Pastoral Care vs. Professional Counseling:
Discerning the Differences
L. Ronald Brushwyler, D.Min. with Sheryl Carle Fancher, M.A., James C. Geoly, J.D., John R. Matthews, S.T.M., Margo M.R. Stone, Psy.D.
1999
The Midwest Ministry Development Service
Summary: "Like pastoral care, professional counseling (or professional counseling by a pastor) is serious business with significant clinical responsibilities given our cultural climate today. Legally, professional counseling is no longer regarded a casual activity."
Prison Reform: "Am I My Brother's Keeper?"
Stan Moody
www.stanmoody.com
Psychotherapy, Culture and Chaplaincy
Timothy B. Smith, Melanie Domenech Rodrıguez, and Guillermo Bernal
Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session Vol. 67(2)
Summary: This article summarizes the definitions, means, and research of adapting psychotherapy to clients’ cultural backgrounds. We begin by reviewing the prevailing definitions of cultural adaptation and providing a clinical example. We present an original meta-analysis of 65 experimental and quasiexperimental studies involving 8,620 participants. The omnibus effect size of d5.46 indicates that treatments specifically adapted for clients of color were moderately more effective with that clientele than traditional treatments. The most effective treatments tended to be those with greater numbers of cultural adaptations. Mental health services targeted to a specific cultural group were several times more effective than those provided to clients from a variety of cultural backgrounds. We recommend a series of research-supported therapeutic practices that account for clients’ culture, with culturespecific treatments being more effective than generally culture-sensitive treatments. & 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 67:166–175, 2011.
Religious Interventions in Prisons
Dr. J.P. Burnside
May 2008
IPCA, Springe Germany
Summary: Religious interventions offer prisons
and correctional services something unique. They have the potential for broad appeal in prisons but they are not ‘miracle cures’ for criminal behaviour.
Things take time. This means that religious interventions are not enough and they need to
be meshed with non-­‐religious prison programmes.
They also show prisoners’ capacity for living in a
cohesive community, as well as taking seriously their ability to take on responsibility. Prisoner
responsibility is developed by building relationships between prisoners and the community. One of the biggest incentives of
religious interventions is prisoner contact with
free-­‐world volunteers, which also shows volunteers’ capacity to be part of the community
being created in the prison.
Revealing the Spiritual Wisdom of People with
Mental Illnesses
Rev. Laura L. Mancuso, MS, CRC
The Chaplaincy Institute for Arts & Interfaith Ministries, Berkeley, California March & August 2010
Summary: There are many different lenses through which we can view the experience of mental illness. Today, I would like to speak about it from a spiritual perspective... “Spiritual companioning” leaves open the possibility that today you may be the one in need...but next week, it may be me... and back again, over and over. This is the stuff of which real respect is made. It's not the distanced respect of “I’m in awe of how much you’ve suffered,” but rather, “You have journeyed to places that I want to know more about.” Instead of pitying people with psychiatric diagnoses or stigmatizing their conditions, I believe we should consider learning from them as spiritual teachers.
The Role of a Correctional Chaplain in a Litigious Era
Stephen T. Hall
Service Provision and Intervention Guidance
National Development (Champions Group: Working with Female Offenders
August 2007
Toward an Interfaith Ministry: Religious Adaptation and Accomodation in Canadian Forces Chaplaincy
Joanne Benham Rennick
Studies in Religion, 39(1) 77-91
Abstract: Historically, Canadian Forces Chaplains have demonstrated impressive adaptability in their attempts to remain relevant to the personnel they serve. However, their efforts do not always come without struggle. The struggles they now face are the result of modern forces such as secularization, religious pluralism, the loss of moral consensus, as well as the privatization of religion. As a result, chaplains who serve in the Canadian Forces must be increasingly open to a diversity of religious beliefs among military personnel. This article examines some of the challenges '"that face the predominantly Christian chaplains as they attempt to meet the spiritual needs of all military personnel regardless of their religious beliefs.