Imprisoned Religion by Irene Becci

Author:Irene Becci [Becci, Irene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Penology
ISBN: 9781317118299
Google: F-UoDAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2016-05-13T06:02:39+00:00

Social Relations: Communication

When inmates meet the chaplain, they may talk about anything they choose. The chaplaincy thereby creates a space of communicative freedom. Not only are inmates permitted to discuss any topic with the chaplain, but they do not even have to justify any lies they might tell, nor do they run the risk of not being believed by the chaplain. People who experience imprisonment after a crime and a trial have encountered many instances when they were not believed. What they said had to be proved, word for word. Therefore, for them, not being questioned has great symbolic and emotional importance. Chaplain Boris stressed precisely this point:

It’s mainly about listening – that is, to accept the other person completely, based on what he tells me. I don’t set any criteria as to how truthful what he says is, but I assume that he tells me something in a certain way, that he just wants to tell me that, and he probably has good reasons for telling me his story, his biography, in that way. And first of all, I accept that and try to enter into contact with him.

Such an acceptance can go as far as continuing a relationship with an inmate in spite of his calling you names, as Ralf Günther himself relates in the foreword of his Seelsorge. The discursive freedom arises also from the fact that the chaplaincy is a protected place, a place of trust – probably the only such place in prison, as inmates as well as chaplains confirmed:

Chaplain Anton: The chaplaincy is one of the few places where one can speak openly and the inmates know that I have the right to keep things confidential, I can keep the secret of the confession … There’s at least an advance on trust [Vertrauensvorschuss]. That opens up many possibilities. All the other staff members can be constrained to testify in court; I have the right to refuse to do this and this protects me and obviously helps when I am in contact with inmates.

The chaplains’ position in the prison institution also allows them to offer inmates an ‘authentic’ or genuine relationship. This option stands in stark contrast to that which other staff members may afford, insofar as the chaplains do not issue orders; they have no obligations; unlike officers, for instance, they do not have power. They make hints or suggestions, as inmates described, but do not dictate:

Justus: If he gave clear orders, that would bother me – if he was putting pressure on me by saying, ‘You have to do this.’ Instead it’s, ‘You can do this.’

Frequently inmates compared the chaplain’s function with that of the psychologist, which helps to understand the specific character of the chaplain’s role:

Jakob: The discussion with the psychologist is always about elaborating guilt. In the discussion with the chaplain you talk about your own problems, he listens, nobody is obliged to do anything. It’s spontaneous … I prefer talking to him rather than to the psychologist.

I: Why?

Jakob: Because I realize that he simply listens to me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.