Article Religious Diversity in Prisons: Chaplaincy and Contention

Abstract: Prisons are sites of contention for many reasons, but the provision of reli-gious and spiritual care to prisoners has long been regarded as a way of mitigating some of the most contentious aspects of prison regimes. Nevertheless, the growth of religious diversity among prisoners in recent decades has given rise to some new bones of contention which are closely related to questions of equality, justice and human rights. The aim of this article is to examine the relationships between religious diversity and contentious issues in prisons by drawing on interviews conducted with Hindu, Muslim and Sikh chaplains in the prisons of England and Wales in 2010 and 2011. The analysis shows that the growth of religious diversity in prisons is associated with problems concerning the official recognition of religions, the facilities and resources made available for religious purposes, the limitations placed on religious practices, and the status of chaplains. Some of these issues have a gendered dimension and are refracted differently by assimilationist and multicultural policies. Résume ́ : Les prisons sont des sites de discorde pour de nombreuses raisons, mais la prestation des soins religieux et spirituels aux prisonniers a longtemps éte ́ considérée comme un moyen d’atténuer certains des aspects les plus controversés des régimes de détention. Néanmoins, la croissance de la diversite ́ religieuse parmi les détenus dans les dernières décennies a donne ́ lieu a ̀ quelques nouveaux sujets de dispute qui sont étroitement liés aux questions de l’égalité, de la justice, et des droits humains. Le but de cet article est d’examiner les rapports entre la diversite ́ religieuse et les questions liti-gieuses dans les prisons, en s’appuyant sur des entrevues menées avec des aumôniers hindous, musulmans et sikhs dans les prisons de l’Angleterre et du Pays de Galles e