Overview

Women Leaving Prison examines the oft-ignored experiences of female returning citizens, our returning sisters, who face numerous individual and systemic barriers as they return to life beyond bars. In the age of mass incarceration, with 700,000 inmates leaving prison each year, spiritual and religious support during reentry is a crucial component of prison ministry. Women Leaving Prison describes women’s pathways to prison, their spiritual and religious experiences inside, and then utilizes interpretative phenomenological analysis, a qualitative research method, to uncover the spiritual and religious beliefs and practices of returning sisters. The findings from the qualitative study then ground the book’s call for a revised prison ministry praxis, entitled Project Sister Connect, that details how churches, as well as concerned citizens and people of faith, can welcome and care for returning sisters. Project Sister Connect offers a model for facilitating female returning citizens’ successful reentry via communal and individual spiritual care and support and by working toward the eradication of structural injustices.

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9781498544023

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Reviews

In a book valuable for novices and scholars alike, Jill Snodgrass compassionately and acutely interprets the experiences of Women Leaving Prison. A paragon for practical theological research, Snodgrass combines the stories and spiritual/religious experiences of females who have been incarcerated with an extensive analysis of the prison industrial complex to develop a comprehensive model for ministering to `returning sisters' that almost any faith community could adapt. It provides a wealth of resources for faith-based prison ministries, and could be read by a book group wanting to understand the effects of mass incarceration on women. -- Jim Higginbotham, Earlham School of Religion

In a book valuable for novices and scholars alike, Jill Snodgrass compassionately and acutely interprets the experiences of Women Leaving Prison. A paragon for practical theological research, Snodgrass combines the stories and spiritual/religious experiences of females who have been incarcerated with an extensive analysis of the prison industrial complex to develop a comprehensive model for ministering to `returning sisters' that almost any faith community could adapt. It provides a wealth of resources for faith-based prison ministries, and could be read by a book group wanting to understand the effects of mass incarceration on women. -- Jim Higginbotham, Earlham School of Religion In Women Leaving Prison, Jill Snodgrass examines the broad issues underlying the incarceration of women in the US, reviewing the social science literature and utilizing her original research to highlight the sacred texts of women's spiritual and religious lives during incarceration and reentry. Relying on this research, Snodgrass crafts a well-informed, gender-specific program for reentry ministry: Project Sister Connect. This congregation-based approach combines a partnership model of direct service to returning women citizens before, during, and after their release, with a guide to political activism needed to challenge and change unjust aspects of the system. This book exemplifies pastoral/practical theology at its best, combining moving stories from the author's qualitative research with theory, theology, and practice, and offering a holistic and comprehensive form of care for an often-forgotten population. -- Mary Clark Moschella, Roger J. Squire Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling, Yale Divinity School Women Leaving Prison is a distinctive and needed resource for communities of faith seeking to be in solidarity with returning sisters, women engaged in the challenging experience of leaving prison and re-entering society. It offers a clear presentation of the US incarceration system, especially as it affects sisters inside. And drawing on current expertise, it highlights the concrete challenges and needs of returning citizens in order to frame practical strategies of ministry. But most important, by directly engaging the voices and religious understandings of the women themselves, it shows that reentry is a spiritual journey. Faith communities who read this book will understand that they can share this journey not by offering charity but through justice-seeking practical and spiritual support. -- Elizabeth M. Bounds, Emory University Reading this book was a breath of fresh air! Very few books exist that depict the spiritual experiences of women who have been incarcerated as eloquently and illustrious as Women Leaving Prison. This book certainly fills a gap in research. Not only does it contribute to the voice of women who have experienced incarceration, but also it affirms that many women who are incarcerated have a deep sense of spirituality during incarceration. What I found most stimulating about this book is how the voice of women who have been incarcerated are highlighted throughout. I'm not only hearing about these women, but because of the way the book is organized, I sometimes feel like I am hearing from this women. Overall, this book is a challenging, compelling, and convicting reminder that the Church and people are faith are called to invest in the lives of those returning from prison with intentional ministries that address both the individual circumstances women may face but also the structures that perpetuate barriers to reentry. -- Sarah F. Farmer, Indiana Wesleyan University

In a book valuable for novices and scholars alike, Jill Snodgrass compassionately and acutely interprets the experiences of Women Leaving Prison. A paragon for practical theological research, Snodgrass combines the stories and spiritual/religious experiences of females who have been incarcerated with an extensive analysis of the prison industrial complex to develop a comprehensive model for ministering to `returning sisters' that almost any faith community could adapt. It provides a wealth of resources for faith-based prison ministries, and could be read by a book group wanting to understand the effects of mass incarceration on women. -- Jim Higginbotham, Earlham School of Religion In Women Leaving Prison, Jill Snodgrass examines the broad issues underlying the incarceration of women in the US, reviewing the social science literature and utilizing her original research to highlight the sacred texts of women's spiritual and religious lives during incarceration and reentry. Relying on this research, Snodgrass crafts a well-informed, gender-specific program for reentry ministry: Project Sister Connect. This congregation-based approach combines a partnership model of direct service to returning women citizens before, during, and after their release, with a guide to political activism needed to challenge and change unjust aspects of the system. This book exemplifies pastoral/practical theology at its best, combining moving stories from the author's qualitative research with theory, theology, and practice, and offering a holistic and comprehensive form of care for an often-forgotten population. -- Mary Clark Moschella, Roger J. Squire Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling, Yale Divinity School Women Leaving Prison is a distinctive and needed resource for communities of faith seeking to be in solidarity with returning sisters, women engaged in the challenging experience of leaving prison and re-entering society. It offers a clear presentation of the US incarceration system, especially as it affects sisters inside. And drawing on current expertise, it highlights the concrete challenges and needs of returning citizens in order to frame practical strategies of ministry. But most important, by directly engaging the voices and religious understandings of the women themselves, it shows that reentry is a spiritual journey. Faith communities who read this book will understand that they can share this journey not by offering charity but through justice-seeking practical and spiritual support. -- Elizabeth M. Bounds, Emory Unviversity Reading this book was a breath of fresh air! Very few books exist that depict the spiritual experiences of women who have been incarcerated as eloquently and illustrious as Women Leaving Prison. This book certainly fills a gap in research. Not only does it contribute to the voice of women who have experienced incarceration, but also it affirms that many women who are incarcerated have a deep sense of spirituality during incarceration. What I found most stimulating about this book is how the voice of women who have been incarcerated are highlighted throughout. I'm not only hearing about these women, but because of the way the book is organized, I sometimes feel like I am hearing from this women. Overall, this book is a challenging, compelling, and convicting reminder that the Church and people are faith are called to invest in the lives of those returning from prison with intentional ministries that address both the individual circumstances women may face but also the structures that perpetuate barriers to reentry. -- Sarah F. Farmer, Indiana Wesleyan University

Author Information

Jill L. Snodgrass is associate professor of pastoral counseling at Loyola University Maryland.

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