Prison Chaplaincy as A Microaggressive Environment for the Non-Religious

Bibliographic Data

ID3558076
AuthorsKatie Hunt (0000-0002-7352-0838, University of Lincoln, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume15
Issue5
Pages597
Publication date2024-05-13
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel15050597
OpenAlexW4396905064
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited11

This article unites the Special Issue's themes of religion, prison, and spaces to examine the prison chaplaincy as a microaggressive environment for people of minority and especially non-religious belief. Although the chaplaincy purports to cater to all faiths and none, it is an inherently religious institution dominated by the Church of England, whose power and privilege is reinforced in both prison policy and legislation. After setting out the context and methodology of my empirical study, I unpack the concept of microaggressions and share original data from interviews with non-religious chaplaincy volunteers to demonstrate the ways in which prison chaplaincy can be alienating to people with a secular world view both as a pastoral service and a workplace. I also explore the physical space of the chaplaincy as a site of everyday othering, through its layout, language, and imagery. Ultimately, I argue that this facility is not suitable for everyone and creates hierarchies of access in which some prisoners and, indeed, staff feel more welcome than others. The article therefore proposes changes to people, place, and policy that could reduce this microaggressive impact

Criminology · Environmental ethics · Prison · Sociology · Migration, Health and Trauma · Philosophy · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology

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