I.F.O.C. Corrections Chaplaincy Toolkit

Chaplains serving in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities encounter individuals facing adversity and mental health issues every day. Carrying the light of God’s love and hope to incarcerated people and those who guard them is the primary focus of a Corrections Chaplain. As a volunteer, the Chaplain takes assignments from the facility’s head Chaplain and may visit the general inmate population comprised of individuals from diverse cultural, religious, and faith-tradition backgrounds, in addition to involvement with the criminal justice system.

Chaplains may conduct small group studies or Bible lessons, provide one-on-one sessions to inmates requesting spiritual counsel, and participate in religious services or death notifications of an inmate’s family member.

Chaplains also provide a ministry of presence to Corrections/ Detention Officers and staff. The stressors of working in prisons and jails are unique; long hours, understaffing, hypervigilance, and low pay contribute to depression, burnout, and relational problems on the job and at home.