The Restorative Prison

‘In The Restorative Prison, Byron Johnson, Michael Hallett, and Sung Joon Jang show how entrepreneurial, transformative ideas can help to solve one of the most complex problems facing American society today. Masterfully blending behavioral science research and an expert’s knowledge of the criminal justice system, this book delivers both solutions and inspiration.’

Arthur C. Brooks, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, and New York Times bestselling author

‘Religion has been entwined with the prison since the birth of the penitentiary two centuries ago, but in this urgent and insurgent new book, Johnson and colleagues argue that faith may now be our only hope for escaping the unholy mess that mass incarceration has become for families and communities in the United States. Although the work is based on sophisticated research, the promised salvation is not to be found in the form of criminological expertise but rather from the lived experience of ‘wounded healers’ – those who have suffered the darkness but found the light. We can only pray they are right.’

Shadd Maruna, Professor, Queen’s University Belfast

‘Under what conditions can religious volunteers be a source of prison reform? What do hope and restoration look like, in a failing, oversized and inhumane prison system? The religious life of prisons is, increasingly, ‘where the action is’. This passionately written and meticulously researched book promotes a positive vision of religiosity, meaning, connectedness and well-being, showing how such practices can, or should, be made possible even in the darkest places.’

Alison Liebling, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Cambridge, UK

‘It is now common to find regular requiems for the role of religion in American life. In the midst of this growing din about the decline of religion as an active social agent in the life of Americans, Byron Johnson, Sung Joon Jang, and Michael Hallett present a compelling argument for the robust role of religion in creating prisons that help restore people to a positive, prosocial life trajectory, even, in the most extreme example, for inmates who will never leave prison. Because many of the early concepts of correctional rehabilitation are rooted in Christianity,it might be easy to dismiss this book as reactionary tome, written to harken back to the good old days. However, while the authors acknowledge the comingled history of religion and rehabilitation, the authors make a new argument, based on insights about the process of desistance for individuals involved in crime. Modern criminologists now agree that that true desistance for people involved in crime involves the personal choice to adopt, and live, a new, prosocial identity. The authors astutely point out that religion in general, and Christianity in particular, is involved in the same basic enterprise for everyone, not just prisoners. There is no need to reinvent the wheel – in many cases, religious programs in the prison are in the right place at the right time for the new effort to create prisons that restore rather than destroy life. As a result, this book is a must read for all people interested in the growing push for prison reform, even for those who have no particular interest in religion.’

Shawn D. Bushway, Senior Policy Research, Behavioral and Policy Sciences Department, RAND Corporation

‘The Restorative Prison does an excellent job of highlighting the positive impact of faith-based programming within correctional walls. The perspectives shared by the authors offer a fresh way to think about the effectiveness of rehabilitative programs and the purpose of our prisons.’

Bryan Collier, Executive Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice