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.