Healing the Wounded Healer? A Survey of Jewish and Protestant Correctional Chaplains

This article explores how working with incarcerated female Jewish and Protestant inmates affected correctional chaplains personally, professionally, and in their religious lives. The researcher interviewed a group of 10 correctional chaplains who work with female Jewish inmates, and a comparison group of 10 chaplains who work with female Protestant inmates in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. The research found significant positive benefits for both groups, including a tendency to be less conservative in their views regarding the criminal justice system and more compassionate views towards inmates and humanity in general. Noted in both study groups was a high prevalence of trauma history prior to their employment as a correctional chaplain.