CM401-01 | Our Daily Bread University

Which period in American history is not covered by Aaron Griffith’s research on the history of twentieth-century American evangelicalism and mass incarceration?

The pre-colonial period—the settlement of what we now know as New England.
The antebellum period—from the American Revolution to the end of the nineteenth century.
The progressive era—from the beginning of the twentieth century through World War II.
The post-World War II era—from 1946 to the present day.

The history of chaplaincy and religious work in corrections is embedded in the history of corrections and American culture. What description best describes the origin of the term chaplain?

Beckner’s book Correctional Chaplains: Keepers of the Cloak says the word chaplain is rooted in the Latin word capella, or “cloak,” a garment that can provide shelter in storms.
The term chaplain was coined by early seventeenth century European colonists in America.
The term chaplain grew out of the story of the Good Samaritan as someone who shares support with those in the storms of life.
The term chaplain refers to the desire of progressives in the early twentieth century to bring more leniency into the prison system and introduce more moderate punishment.

The history of prison chaplaincy started with the arrival of European colonists. What were the disadvantages of trying to manage incarceration and punishment in the early seventeenth century?

Colonial America was a lawless society; there were never enough people available to help ministers manage the behaviors of society.
Survival was paramount to the colonists, so little thought was given to prosecution of even serious crimes.
Puritans imposed severe penalties for even the mildest of infractions.
Colonial America was rural with only small settlements and villages that were spread out. There was a shortage of time, people, and resources to sustain complex local governments.

Which of the following describes the types of punishment and incarceration used in colonial America?

Punishment was limited in scope. When punishment occurred, it was usually physical.
If incarceration did occur, it was only as a temporary measure.
Punishment was primarily about deterrence and retribution.
All of the above

When serious crimes were committed, what public role did ministers take in communities to make sense of the events and the punishment meted out?

No one wanted the job, according to historian Scott Seay, so ministers were “conscripted.”
Ministers were expected to take the role of a “town crier” who broadcast details of local events.
Once someone was convicted of a serious crime, ministers would preach “execution sermons,” explaining to the community and the condemned the seriousness of the offense and the need for God’s judgment.
Methodist communities were bound by a religious oath; their ministers were required to officiate at all punishments, especially hangings.

In the colonial era, punishment was primarily about deterrence and retribution. Why was this so?

In a society seemingly under constant threat of falling apart, harsh punishment was meted out to warn the community to resist the temptation to commit crimes.
Anglican Protestant reformers saw themselves as humanitarians, but they started reconsidering older practices of punishment.
Reformers knew the Methodist approach to punishment and incarceration had largely failed everywhere it had been tried. Methodist measures did little to reform the behavior of criminals.
Calvinists—with their pessimism about the total depravity of humanity—accepted a new religious sentiment: the idea that people can be improved and even perfected.

Which step(s) did Protestant reformers not take while trying to improve incarceration and punishment?

They began building prisons to perfect and reform wayward criminals.
Workshops (where inmates could stay busy and receive job skills training) and chapels (where inmates could hear the reforming message of salvation) were built.
Solitary cells—formerly spaces of isolation for bad behavior—now functioned as sanctuaries and were patterned after the solitary rooms in monasteries where monks (known as penitents) lived.
Punishment for mild and petty crimes was meted out more harshly.

Harsher punishments became common and the need for chaplains increased. What was the primary reason for this?

Historian Jennifer Graber maintains that ministers from local towns and villages were reluctant to work with inmates because prison security was lax. After some ministers were assaulted, a general call went out for more men willing to serve as chaplains.
Chaplains were increasingly needed to explain to inmates the spiritual rationale for their punishments.
Prisons continued to grow in cruelty in the nineteenth century. Some chaplains left in protest of the harshness, and a massive recruiting drive for chaplains took place in larger communities.
By the Civil War, Graber notes that the guiding metaphor for prisons had shifted from “furnace” to simply “hell”—there was no redemptive quality to incarceration.

Which of the following does not describe one of the reasons America entered what we now call the Progressive Era?

By the end of the nineteenth century, industrialization had reshaped the economic order.
Liberal notions of personhood and progress gained traction in many corners of American intellectual life.
Social problems and solutions became less secularized.
Science had started to become a recognized public authority on many issues.

Which of these is not indicative of the new modern penology?

Classification models for inmates (“maximum” and “minimum” security) came into play in hopes that suiting an inmate to the correct environment might engender reform.
Reformers began using a harsher Methodist-based approach concerning punishment and incarceration.
Reformers used psychological therapy and treatment to help inmates adjust to modern life.
“New penology” viewed inmates and crime in terms of their environment (not personal choice) and directed treatment in response to help them change their ways (not retributive punishment).

Which of these did not move prisons toward becoming more secular?

Crime was no longer spoken of in terms of sin, but in terms of maladjustment. When chaplains did exert influence, it looked more and more like the secular work of prison professionals.
Skotnicki says chaplains were key figures in transforming prisons into secular entities.
Community leaders—often Calvinists who were unhappy with the results achieved by the clergy in prisons—pushed hard for a more secular approach to prison governance.
The new social conscience under the Progressive banner persuaded a majority of people to explore and appreciate the personhood of inmates and offenders.

What new element was not added to the later twentieth-century approach to chaplaincy?

Religious minorities—Black Muslims, Wiccans, etc.—could no longer worship freely.
Even though prisons remained harsh, there was an increased sense of prisoners’ rights.
The role of chaplain evolved into helping prisoners navigate the free market of religion.
Prisons began to avoid traditional titles like Imam or Reverend, preferring chaplain.

Which description of the work of chaplains in the late twentieth century is not valid?

Their main role is to be a manager of the religious diversity of people.
Their primary role is not to convert but to provide “religious services” or “spiritual support.”
Seay maintains chaplains are reaching “the end of their importance in secular America.”
Their role is intended to be broad, impartial, and applicable to any group.

Foundations of Correctional Chaplaincy

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