Angola Prison Seminary

<p>Corrections officials faced with rising populations and shrinking budgets have increasingly welcomed faith-based providers offering services at no cost to help meet the needs of inmates. Drawing from three years of on-site research this book utilizes survey analysis along with life-history interviews of inmates and staff to explore the history purpose and functioning of the Inmate Minister program at Louisiana State Penitentiary (aka Angola) America's largest maximum-security prison. This book takes seriously attributions from inmates that faith is helpful for surviving prison and explores the implications of religious programming for an American corrections system in crisis featuring high recidivism dehumanizing violence and often draconian punishments. </p>