Religion in Prison

Historical Background

The influence and practice of religion in the correctional setting is as old as the history of prisons. Religious practices in prison were probably first carried out by religious men who themselves were imprisoned. The Bible stories of such prisoners include Joseph and Jeremiah in the Old Testament, and John the Baptist, Peter, John, and Paul in the New Testament. Beginning in the days of Constantine, the early Christian Church granted asylum to criminals who would otherwise have been mutilated or killed. Although this custom was restricted in most countries by the fifteenth century, releasing prisoners during Easter and honoring requests by church authorities to pardon or reduce sentences for offenders continued for centuries, with the latter still in existence in a modified form.

Imprisonment under church jurisdiction became a substitute for corporal or capital punishment. In medieval times, the Roman Catholic Church developed penal techniques later used by secular states, such as the monastic cell that served as a punishment place for criminal offenders. In 1593, the Protestants of Amsterdam built a house of correction for women, and another for men in 1603. In Rome, what are now the Sisters of the Good Shepherd built correctional facilities for women, and in 1703, Pope Clement XI built the famous Michel Prison as a house of correction for younger offenders that emphasized separation, silence, work, and prayer. As late as the eighteenth century, the Vatican Prison still served as a model prison design for Europe and America.

Early settlers of North America brought with them the customs and common laws of England, including the pillory, the stocks, and the whipping post. During the eighteenth century, however, isolating offenders from fellow prisoners became the accepted correctional practice. It was thought that long-term isolation, combined with in-depth discussions with clergy, would lead inmates to repent or become “penitent” for their sins. Thus the term penitentiary was derived. West Jersey and Pennsylvania Quakers were primarily responsible for many of the prison reforms. Repulsed by the corporal punishments of their time, they developed the idea of substituting imprisonment for corporal punishment and the idea of combining prison with the workhouse. The prototype of this regime was the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia, which reflected the Quakers' belief in people's ability to reform through reflection and remorse.

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