Prison Religion: Faith-Based Reform and the Constitution

by Winnifred Fallers Sullivan

More than the citizens of most countries, Americans are either religious or in jail--or both. But what does it mean when imprisonment and evangelization actually go hand in hand, or at least appear to? What do "faith-based" prison programs mean for the constitutional separation of church and state, particularly when prisoners who participate get special privileges? In Prison Religion , law and religion scholar Winnifred Fallers Sullivan takes up these and other important questions through a close examination of a 2005 lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a faith-based residential rehabilitation program in an Iowa state prison.



Americans United for the Separation of Church and State v. Prison Fellowship Ministries , a trial in which Sullivan served as an expert witness, centered on the constitutionality of allowing religious organizations to operate programs in state-run facilities. Using the trial as a case study, Sullivan argues that separation of church and state is no longer possible. Religious authority has shifted from institutions to individuals, making it difficult to define religion, let alone disentangle it from the state. Prison Religion casts new light on church-state law, the debate over government-funded faith-based programs, and the predicament of prisoners who have precious little choice about what kind of rehabilitation they receive, if they are offered any at all.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2009

Reviews

[Nils Jepson · Rating 4 out of 5]

slightly a bit too detailed for me but i think it serves its purpose and makes Prison Ministry seem super evil

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book provides a historical background of the prison system in the US and brings the reader up to date on the most recent cases that have dealt with the separation of church and state. It discusses the changing face of religion in our culture: where does religion belong in our society and can it be separated from the individual when rehabitating a person or in providing therapy. (Some of the theories went into great detail, and I can't say that I read these parts thoroughly.) It brought up the Protestant claim of the US having gotten its values from this specific model of Christianity and say that because of this, these religious values are now so engrained in the law of the state that they are not considered religious values now. This was something to ponder as well as the overwhelming growth in the population in the prison system. 3% of all Americans are in prison; we imprison more people that any other country in the world. Private prisons (prisons for profit) are now open all over the country, and now even religious organizations are opening prisons! Something here is very wrong.