Religion in Prison: 'Equal Rites' in a Multi-Faith Society

by James A. Beckford , Sophie Gilliat

• ISBN13: 9780521622462
• ISBN10: 0521622468
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-06-13
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This is the first in-depth examination of relations between the Church of England and other faiths in the Prison Service Chaplaincy. It shows how the struggle for equal opportunities in a multi-faith society is politicising relations between the Church, the state and religious minorities. Drawing on a wealth of new data, it considers the increasingly controversial role of Anglican chaplains in facilitating the religious and pastoral care of prisoners from non-Christian backgrounds, whose numbers among the prison population have been growing. Comparison with the United States underlines the closeness of the tie between the state and Christian churches in English prisons, and this book argues that it is time to reconsider the practice of keeping ethnic and religious minorities dependent on Anglican 'brokering' of their access to prison chaplaincy.

Table of Contents

List of figures	viii	(1)
List of tables	ix	(1)
Abbreviations	x	(1)
Preface	xi
1 Equal opportunities and multiculturalism in prisons	1	(24)
2 Chaplaincy, chaplains, chapels and other faiths	25	(31)
3 Church of England prison chaplains	56	(33)
4 Visiting Ministers of other faiths	89	(27)
5 `Facilitation' or `dependence'?	116	(26)
6 Inclusion and exclusion	142	(29)
7 Prison chaplaincy in the United States	171	(30)
8 Conclusions: state, church and diversity	201	(19)
Notes	220	(4)
Appendix	224	(1)
References	225	(5)
Index	230