Chaplaincies to the Justice System

Prison

Prison Chaplaincy is different.  The men and women we work with are some of the most damaged people in society.  The difference is we KNOW what they have done, and yet Jesus STILL wants us to love them, because often nobody else ever has.

What does the Chaplaincy offer?

At the moment we offer predominantly pastoral care on a one-to-one basis to both prisoners and staff. We are unable to offer services but in normal times we offer Sunday Services for one hour followed by a cup of tea and chat.  We also have a very large supply of Bibles and Christian books which we are able to give away and replenish when needed.

This week we have been allowed to offer one hour Bible Study per fortnight to individual wings for up to 10 prisoners at a time This means we are offering 2 sessions per week on a Tuesday A+B wing Tuesday morning, C+D wing afternoon, following week E+F wings morning and PIPE unit afternoon

Who is the Chaplaincy for?

Chaplaincy is for every person involved in the prison; prisoners and their relatives/visitors as well as staff.

We care for those who are bereaved, organising applications for them to attend funerals.  We offer support to those with close relatives who are seriously ill in hospital and liaise with nurses to keep prisoners updated.  We also pass on good news of the birth of babies.

We liaise with charitable organisations such as Gideons, Day One Prison Ministries, Prison Fellowship, The Message Trust etc..

Hindley Prison also have some volunteer Prison Visitors who do nonfaith based work with prisoners who are struggling e.g. working alongside prisoners in our Community Chapel Garden, in the polytunnel or with the Aviary, rabbits and guinea pig fostering service.

National Association of Prison Visitors are an organisation who can help people who wish to become Official Prison Visitors.

How do people access the Chaplain?

Every prison in the UK has a Multifaith Chaplaincy Team.  We work closely with prisoners, staff and team members of every faith and none.

Prisoners can access chaplaincy and our services by completing an application form, by asking staff to phone us or by stopping us as we pass.  We also have a statutory duty to speak to every new admission within 24 hours of arrival to make them aware of the support we offer.

Relatives can contact us by telephone and we have a 24-hour answer machine where they can leave a contact number which we will phone back before 5.00pm each day.

The staff know we have refreshments available in Chapel and they can call in at any time or phone to speak to a specific member of the team.

 

Watch about the life of a Chaplain

 

 

 

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