Chaplains

Chaplains have been part of the U.S. prison system since its beginnings. From the first penitentiary set up by Quakers in the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia, the clergy have been able to enter penal institutions to provide religious training, counseling, and support. Since this time, the role of the prison chaplain has diversified and become much more complex.

Eighteenth- and 19th-century proponents of the Pennsylvania system sought to reform offenders through a combination of solitary confinement and Bible reading. Inmates in this system were housed in separate cells; their only human contact was the occasional visit of a clergyperson or prison guard. At that juncture, prison chaplains were the earliest paid noncustodial staff; they provided education and counseling in addition to religious programs. One of the first chaplains, named William Rogers, began teaching the Bible at the Walnut Street Jail in 1787, where he was also responsible for Sabbath schools as well as providing reading and writing instruction.

Though the tasks of a prison minister have changed since these early beginnings, the contemporary job retains some of the influences of its origins. Chaplains are meant to provide succor to their inmate flock, while also performing the role of security officer. They are, in short, aiming to rehabilitate within a punitive environment. It is this paradox that shapes much of the job.