Chaplaincy

The prisoners develop a close contact with the chaplains in the jail system, and there is a breakdown when they are released in the community. This chaplaincy services program for Aboriginal prisoners inside and outside the jail is aimed to provide continuity in their transition. The chaplains would provide a listening ear with compassion and support in areas such as community engagement and mental health.

By providing detainees and their families with support and/or appropriate referrals in difficult situations during times of grief, personal or emotional challenges. Though there are a wide range of services available for detainees released from the jail, there are no chaplaincy services targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners in the community. Detainees released from the jail are unlikely to attend a local church. However, they would require a chaplain to support them with their spiritual and emotional well-being.

Corrections Victoria describes the prison ministry as “a safety valve to diffuse potentially violent situations”, and ACU’s Emeritus Professor Ruth Webber, who has studied prisons in Australia and the United States, says this is backed by her research into the Catholic prison ministry. She said the presence of prison chaplains helped to reduce violence and rule breaking among prisoners