{"id":{"repo_id":"wfu","oai_identifier":"oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/14693"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/wfu/oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/14693","repository":{"repo_id":"wfu","name":"Wake Forest University","base_url":"https://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Spiritual Transformation in Prison","abstract":"The United States currently incarcerates more people than any other industrialized country in the world and the numbers continue to rise. Nearly every United States prison offers religious programs, mostly through volunteer work, and studies suggest that these programs are temporarily effective. While such programs have not been empirically proven to prevent recidivism in the long term, spirituality can help prisoners adjust to life in prison and often provides meaning and hope for re-entry in society. This thesis explores the motives underlying spiritual transformation. Interviews were conducted at the Darryl Hunt Project (DHP) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and three motives were identified: survival, social influences, and personal reasons. Paralleling Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, these three categories represent needs that are fulfilled through increased spirituality. The personal experiences of four famous men who were formerly imprisoned are compared with the interviews conducted at DHP, further illuminating the complexities underlying spiritual transformation among prisoners.","abstract_html":"The United States currently incarcerates more people than any other industrialized country in the world and the numbers continue to rise. Nearly every United States prison offers religious programs, mostly through volunteer work, and studies suggest that these programs are temporarily effective. While such programs have not been empirically proven to prevent recidivism in the long term, spirituality can help prisoners adjust to life in prison and often provides meaning and hope for re-entry in society. This thesis explores the motives underlying spiritual transformation. Interviews were conducted at the Darryl Hunt Project (DHP) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and three motives were identified: survival, social influences, and personal reasons. Paralleling Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, these three categories represent needs that are fulfilled through increased spirituality. The personal experiences of four famous men who were formerly imprisoned are compared with the interviews conducted at DHP, further illuminating the complexities underlying spiritual transformation among prisoners.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Placer, Meredith"],"institution":"Wake Forest University","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2009,"date_issued":"2009-05-14T15:43:12Z","date_published":"2009-05-14T15:43:12Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T22:00:55Z","subjects":["Religion"],"languages":["en_US"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10339/14693","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Placer, Meredith"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2009-05-14T15:43:12Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2009-05-14T15:43:12Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2009-05-14T15:43:12Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Wake Forest University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Religion"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_US"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10339/14693"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The United States currently incarcerates more people than any other industrialized country in the world and the numbers continue to rise. Nearly every United States prison offers religious programs, mostly through volunteer work, and studies suggest that these programs are temporarily effective. While such programs have not been empirically proven to prevent recidivism in the long term, spirituality can help prisoners adjust to life in prison and often provides meaning and hope for re-entry in society. This thesis explores the motives underlying spiritual transformation. Interviews were conducted at the Darryl Hunt Project (DHP) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and three motives were identified: survival, social influences, and personal reasons. Paralleling Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, these three categories represent needs that are fulfilled through increased spirituality. The personal experiences of four famous men who were formerly imprisoned are compared with the interviews conducted at DHP, further illuminating the complexities underlying spiritual transformation among prisoners."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Spiritual Transformation in Prison"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Placer, Meredith"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2009-05-14T15:43:12Z"],"dc:date.available":["2009-05-14T15:43:12Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2009-05-14T15:43:12Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The United States currently incarcerates more people than any other industrialized country in the world and the numbers continue to rise. Nearly every United States prison offers religious programs, mostly through volunteer work, and studies suggest that these programs are temporarily effective. While such programs have not been empirically proven to prevent recidivism in the long term, spirituality can help prisoners adjust to life in prison and often provides meaning and hope for re-entry in society. This thesis explores the motives underlying spiritual transformation. Interviews were conducted at the Darryl Hunt Project (DHP) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and three motives were identified: survival, social influences, and personal reasons. Paralleling Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, these three categories represent needs that are fulfilled through increased spirituality. The personal experiences of four famous men who were formerly imprisoned are compared with the interviews conducted at DHP, further illuminating the complexities underlying spiritual transformation among prisoners."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10339/14693"],"dc:language.iso":["en_US"],"dc:publisher":["Wake Forest University"],"dc:subject":["Religion"],"dc:title":["Spiritual Transformation in Prison"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T22:00:55Z"}