Prison chaplaincy

Prison chaplaincy finds its legal foundation in Article 18 of the Human Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted and declared by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948:

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Worldwide prison chaplains work on behalf of their congregation to support their detained fellow believers or try to express their mission. In the context of detention they preach and teach the Gospel of salvation and liberation. In this way they realize Jesus' words as expressed in Matthew 25:36:

"I was in prison and you visited me."

In the daily work of prison chaplains the reality of God is related to the world of crime and detention. Theologically prison chaplaincy starts with the conviction that God's liberating salvation is also revelated and realized 'behind prison walls'. For essential to the work of prison chaplaincy is the Biblical view that God is present everywhere, even in places where only brokenness, despair and evil seem to govern.

Of course the work of prison chaplaincy is also directly related to important themes like church-state relations, (abuse of) power, guilt, violence, evil, forgiveness, reconciliation, sovereignty, free will, responsibility, rule of law, justice.