Results and characteristics of Prison Chaplaincy

Abstract

The prison mission is the same age as the church itself, while organized religious education in prisons is the same age as the the prison administration. The primary institutional custodian of the prison mission, which is being relaunched in Hungary after the regime change, is the Prison Chaplaincy. This article undertakes to present the characteristics and results of this service. It is worth noting that the prison mission is also cultural mission. It conveys values to prisoners that they have most likely not encountered before. The success and results of this mission can be evaluated from several aspects. Within the framework of this work, I assume the results as a change in the value system of prisoners. In this field, the Prison Chaplaincy is a prominent player in the Hungarian prison system. Their successes are unquestionable. In the second half of the work, the dynamics and conditions of positive changes in the value system of prisoners as a result of religious education are presented.