Abstract:
In the field of penology, very few studies have paid attention to the role of religion
in prison. The sparse scholarly studies are largely focused on the advanced
countries, and rarely on prisons in Africa. In addition, the findings of the impact of
religion on inmates have yielded mixed results. This study examined the de facto
religious pursuits of inmates in attempts to cope with imprisonment, and at selfreformation for possible reintegration. The study was underpinned by social
constructionist theory of reality and some functionalists’ perspectives on religion.
The study settled on mixed method approach to data collection. The semi-structured
questionnaire data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences
software. The transcripts of the in-depth interviews were also analyzed thematically
using the Google Docs word search tool. The study found that while Ankaful
Maximum Security Prison (AMSP) has been successful in its mandate of
imprisoning convicts, the institution has failed in the rehabilitation and
resocialization of inmates. These shortcomings, unwittingly, have given way to the
various certified religious Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to operate supportive
and religious functions in the prison. Evidently, not all inmates who participated in
religious activities did so necessarily for redemption but for materialism. In
addition, religion was seen as a means by which inmates were restoring their
“spoiled identities”, and conducting their impression management. For ex-convicts,
their experiences of re-joining their families and faith communities were
antithetical to what they expected upon discharge. A collaborative project by all
religious CSOs to establish a sorely needed transition home to ease ex-convicts into
the community is recommended.
