Should Religion be taught in Prison?

[chatpilot]

I have never been to the "big house" but I did spend 4 months at Rikers Island for assault and resisting arrest in 2003. One thing I learned from observation is that prison rehabilitates no one, in fact if you were a pretty bad criminal with prospects of getting out soon it is most likely that you will be a better criminal when you are released. Prison is more like facebook for criminals, you go in and begin socializing with all those fucked up individuals and come out with a huge network of contacts and possible future partners in crime.

I agree cerrone that religion is just a means to impress the parole board or a way to cope with what some of them have done on the outside.

[theophilus]

There is evidence that religious instruction in prisons can have a positive effect:

When people in prison get involved in religious services and begin to lead a richer spiritual life along with their physical, emotional, and intellectual life then they have more inner resources available to them. Because spirituality is essentially about love and connectedness a person who is spiritually alive will be less likely to hurt other people or to do wrong. One inmate at Lieber involved in religious programming put it this way: "Before it was all me. Now I know life is also about relationships. I have to think of others and God. If you're serious about God, you have to take on the nature of God, and God cares about other people too." Another inmate who was not religiously involved insisted that "life is dog eat dog" and went on to say "I will do anything I have to - lie, cheat, steal, - to stay out of here when I get out." Religious involvement can free up a part of who we are, and these inner resources can lead to changed attitudes and behaviors.

http://www.oregon.gov/DOC/TRANS/religiou...cle2.shtml

Here is an organization that has been very effective in helping prisoners:

http://www.prisonfellowship.org/prison-fellowship-home

I do agree with one point made in the OP. The government shouldn't pay for religious training. It should be paid for by those who believe in the religion that is being taught.

[downbeatplumb]

Is that why so many of the street ranters begin by shouting " I used to be a sinner" It seems being a cock when your young is the main way these annoying people get started.

[TheDarkestOfAngels]

Can you imagine the burden this is having on the taxpayer? I thought these bastards were in prison to be, you know, punished, i.e. to serve a sentence, not to be radicalized and further their deep-rooted hatred for society.

As long as the religious teachings aren't being paid for with public money, then I don't care.
If the ministers or proletyzers are being paid with tax money, then I'm absolutely against it.

[The Omnissiunt One]

It depends whether religious teaching actually reforms them or not. If it does, then it should be allowed; it's just a legitimate form of brainwashing. Like all religious teaching.

[Jaysyn]

As far as rehabilition in prison goes... it's just a delusion. Prisons were created originaly to remove people from society without going through the hassle of having to justify an execution. They were designed as cages, not designed to rehabilitate, the idea of rehabilitation inside a prison is a fairly new one and i believe it's just an attempt at justifying the continued existance and creation of more prisons.

If by "fairly new" you meant the late 1700's, you'd be correct.

[Cerrone]

As far as rehabilition in prison goes... it's just a delusion. Prisons were created originaly to remove people from society without going through the hassle of having to justify an execution. They were designed as cages, not designed to rehabilitate, the idea of rehabilitation inside a prison is a fairly new one and i believe it's just an attempt at justifying the continued existance and creation of more prisons.

If by "fairly new" you meant the late 1700's, you'd be correct.

Don't be so fucking trivial.

And explain to me how "The Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons" in 1787 attempted to rehabilitate? All these attempts are more to do with getting the inmates to work while their locked up to benefit the state, there's nothing rehabilitating about that- except perhaps if you consider rehabilitation to be another word for "making the little man know who's boss" which you probably do.

capitalist scum!

---

http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Socie...S_Fracture

http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Prison

[Jaysyn]

And explain to me how "The Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons" in 1787 attempted to rehabilitate? All these attempts are more to do with getting the inmates to work while their locked up to benefit the state, there's nothing rehabilitating about that- except perhaps if you consider rehabilitation to be another word for "making the little man know who's boss" which you probably do.

That's when the ball got rolling on it, kid.

[Shell B]

If prisoners want to learn religion, that is fine. I don't care what they do in htere. However, I don't think that people who teach religion to prisoners should be paid-at all.

[Minimalist]

There is evidence that religious instruction in prisons can have a positive effect:

Well, there is no evidence that it has any effect outside of prison. Maybe you have to be a felon to benefit from the bullshit story?