Grief without God: Religious inequalities in prison pastoral care

Hunt, Katie, Barbara May (2018) Grief without God: Religious inequalities in prison pastoral care. Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, University of Bristol , Bristol, United Kingdom. 27 - 29 Mar 2018.

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Other)

Abstract

How effectively does the Prison Service meet its equality duties in its treatment of non-religious offenders? Prisoners suffer a higher rate of bereavement, and the incarceration experience complicates the grief process at every stage. Disenfranchised grief can lead to mental illness and recidivism upon release, so robust pastoral care interventions are vital. Unfortunately, grief counselling is unavailable to most offenders, for whom the primary (or only) source of formal support is the prison chaplaincy. While chaplaincies welcome all inmates, regardless of belief, this facility is not suitable for everyone. The preliminary evidence from criminal justice practitioners and care professionals is that many non-faith offenders do not access the chaplaincy as they feel uncomfortable engaging with religious services. A lack of secular alternatives means that these inmates are unlikely to receive the help they need, and may experience poorer outcomes. While Ministry of Justice guidelines entitle prisoners of every faith to visits from someone of the same belief, no equivalent provision exists for those of no faith. In short, my research identifies differences in provision of and access to pastoral care for non-religious prisoners. These discrepancies, drawn along religious lines, may constitute a breach of anti-discrimination legislation. Informed by the Equality Act 2010 and recent Supreme Court case law, my paper considers the apparent inequalities as a possible matter for both direct and indirect discrimination law.

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