Chaplains & Prisons

Chaplains and Spiritual Care Providers

There are over 200 chaplains and spiritual care workers providing care and assisting men, women and youth in prisons and correctional centres across Canada. As part of their emotional and spiritual support, they listen, connect, and provide comfort to people who may feel lost or abandoned. Chaplaincy can significantly contribute to a person’s rehabilitation and readiness to return to society.

Prisons

There are 181 prisons* and over 160 community correctional centres and community-based residential facilities in our country. Several studies reveal that the re-offence rate in Canada is approximately 63%.** Additional studies around the globe indicate that those who come to faith, or reconnect to their faith while in prison, and then return to the community through the local church, have a substantially lower re-offence rate.

*Prisons (federal, provincial and youth detention centres) may include multi-site locations.
**within 2 years of release.

How Harvest Helps

Our growing network of comprehensively trained churches and organizations across Canada provides a way for chaplains and corrections' staff to link a candidate to local organizations within a particular resettlement area. This provides an important relational transition from prison to society and assists the candidate in their reintegration efforts by providing a continuum of care within the community.