The overall rate of incarceration in the United States has been on the
rise since 1970s, skyrocketing during Ronald Reagan's presidency, and
recently reaching unprecedented highs. Looking for innovative solutions
to the crises produced by gigantic prison populations, Florida's
Department of Corrections claims to have found a partial remedy in the
form of faith and character-based correctional institutions (FCBIs).
While claiming to be open to all religious traditions, FCBIs are almost
always run by Protestants situated within the politics of the Christian
right. The religious programming is typically run by the incarcerated
along with volunteers from outside the prison. Stoddard takes the reader
deep inside FCBIs, analyzing the subtle meanings and difficult choices
with which the incarcerated, prison administrators, staff, and chaplains
grapple every day. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research and
historical analysis, Brad Stoddard argues that FCBIs build on and
demonstrate the compatibility of conservative Christian politics and
neoliberal economics.
Even without authoritative data on whether FCBIs are assisting
rehabilitation and reducing recidivism rates, similar programs are
appearing across the nation--only Iowa has declared them illegal under
non-establishment-of-religion statutes. Exposing the intricate
connections among incarceration, neoliberal economics, and religious
freedom, Stoddard makes a timely contribution to debates about
religion's role in American society.
