Spiritual Transformation in Prison

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.

Grantor dc:publisher

Wake Forest University

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Placer, Meredith

• Religion

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/14693

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/14693