Grief, chaplaincy and the non-religious prisoner

Abstract

This chapter calls for a clearer distinction between religious and pastoral support. Prisoners experience bereavement at a very high rate and there are strong links between unresolved grief and offending, but what little bereavement support is provided tends to be available largely through prison chaplaincies. The experience of some criminal justice professionals is that many inmates feel uncomfortable accessing religious services and do not receive the help they need. It will be argued that multi-faith spaces, which seek to cater to inmates of all faiths and none, may be unable to support all offenders equally, and that the importance of effective pastoral care in the criminal justice system puts pressure on the Prison Service to do more to support those whom the chaplaincy cannot reach. A secular service independent from chaplaincies and their staff would be accessible to all, so that no prisoner feels alienated from vital support.

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ORCID for Katie, Barbara May Hunt: orcid.org/0000-0002-7352-0838

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