The Prison Religion Project

Overview

The Center for Engaged Religious Pluralism has been at the forefront of incarcerated people’s religious liberty rights since its founding in 2008.

The Center’s work was built upon the efforts of Center director, Barbara A. McGraw since 1996 when she first served as an expert witness on religious liberty issues for a man who was incarcerated in California’s (then notorious) Pelican Bay Prison. That experience led to her prison-focused work ever sense, starting as a volunteer prison chaplain, then advocate, then trainer of prison officials. When McGraw founded the Center in 2008, the Prison Religion Project was a prominent focus.

In June 2025, the John Templeton Foundation awarded Professor McGraw a three-year, $1 million grant to support and expand the Center’s Prison Religion Project.

“While religion offers a vital source of meaning, belonging, and personal transformation for millions—including those who are incarcerated—many in our nation’s prisons are denied the right to practice their faiths due to systemic barriers.”  
— Barbara A. McGraw

Purpose of the Project

The Prison Religion Project serves as a bridge to greater understanding at the intersection of religious pluralism, incarcerated people’s rights, and institutional policy.

Why a Prison Religion Project?

Federal law requires correctional institutions to accommodate inmates’ religious practices:

• The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA)  requires federal and state correctional authorities to avoid placing substantial burdens on religious exercise.
• The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) applies to federal correctional institutions.

However, how these laws are applied varies widely. Many jurisdictions experience confusion, inconsistent enforcement, or resistance around religious accommodations.

The Prison Religion Project seeks to address these challenges by:

• Providing educational materials
• Creating a forum for inclusive discussion
• Supporting correctional staff in navigating religious diversity
• Encouraging mutual understanding and lawful accommodation across institutions

Research Dialogue Method

The Center convenes officials responsible for chaplaincy and religious programs in correctional institutions to engage in structured dialogue with one another and with CERP facilitators.

These dialogues address:

• Legal requirements
• Policy development
• Institutional culture
• Challenges of religious diversity

Using an interfaith leadership framework, participants explore pathways for meaningful institutional change.

To learn more about this method, see Dr. Barbara McGraw’s chapter:
“From Prison Religion to Interfaith Leadership for Institutional Change” in
Interreligious/Interfaith Studies: Defining a New Field Eboo Patel, Jennifer Howe Peace, and Noah Silverman, eds. (Beacon Press, 2018).

Templeton-Funded Expansion of the Prison Religion Project 

Launched in September 2025, the Templeton-funded project explores how correctional institutions can become exemplars of religious liberty, pluralism, and institutional change. Through research, training, and public educational resources, the project aims to foster deeper understanding of religious diversity in correctional settings.

Grant period: September 1, 2025 – August 31, 2028
Project title: Prison Religion: Advancing Religious Liberty in Correctional Institutions as Exemplars of Pluralism and Institutional Change

Project Components

Training Workshops

The project expands longstanding CERP training programs for correctional staff. Over three years, it will offer:

• Six regional half-day workshops (two per year)
• Two national training conferences (November 2026 and November 2027)

These workshops focus on religious diversity, legal frameworks, and pluralism in correctional environments.

Academic Research and Publications

Research will examine how religious liberty law affects policies, practices, culture, and personnel attitudes within correctional institutions. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and shared at academic conferences.

Narrative Book

Dr. McGraw will author a book documenting nearly 30 years of experience working in correctional settings—from volunteer chaplain to national trainer—highlighting personal stories, institutional transformation, and lessons in pluralism.

Educational Resource Repository (Coming Year 3)

A public-facing online repository hosted by Saint Mary’s College will offer best practices, legal guidance, and educational tools for correctional institutions nationwide.

Project Team

Dr. McGraw has assembled a multidisciplinary team of scholars and practitioners, graduate and undergraduate students, and staff for the project.  Meet the team

Looking Ahead

Over three years, the Prison Religion Project will promote research, training, and dialogue that strengthen religious liberty, pluralism, and human dignity in correctional institutions—advancing the mission of Saint Mary’s College to serve the common good.