Prison Religion

Prison religion refers to the faith and religiosity embedded in the experience of incarceration. For some prisoners, religious narratives seem to speak directly to their existential predicament, and so stories such as that of the Exodus in the Bible can occupy a special space in a believer's worldview. For others, the practice of religion in prison may be for less devout reasons or may even be something of a con game, a temporary or transitory appropriation, used for protection, perks, or simply to get out of the cell or to socialize. Sincere converts and practitioners have been distinguished primarily according to whether they continue practicing after release; some abandon religion, while others keep the faith.

Religion in prison, despite its contemporary prominence, is an understudied topic, ...