Joy, Compassion, and Job Satisfaction: Insights into the Canadian Prison Chaplaincy

This paper presents an exploratory study about the experiences of 25 inter-faith chaplains in five Canadian provinces. It utilizes a focus groups methodology. The goal of this qualitative research was to highlight the voices of the chaplains. Hence, the focus groups explored the unique and challenging experiences of chaplains' work in Canadian prisons. Data from all seven focus groups indicated that despite multiple challenges and obstacles, the correctional chaplains remain dedicated to their work and are committed to making a positive impact on their prisoners. Based on the data provided by the chaplains about the intrinsic rewards and various challenges they face in their day-to-day work, the paper makes several research and policy recommendations. The objective of such recommendations is to maximize the role that religion and/or spirituality could play in prisoners' positive adaptation, and eventual criminal desistance in a context of confinement characterized by loss of personal autonomy and self-identity.

Battered Immigrant Women and the Police: A Canadian Perspective

Since the 1970s, the state response to intimate partner violence (IPV) has increasingly become one of criminalization-particularly police intervention. Little is known, however, about marginalized women's experiences with the police within a context of intimate partner violence in Canada. Drawing on interviews with 90 battered immigrant women, this study examines which women contact the police, why some do not, and what characterizes their experiences when the police are involved in an IPV incident. This study demonstrates that while the women who called the police were demographically similar to those who did not call, the women who called reported much greater levels of physical abuse. Findings indicate that general fear of the police and fear of police being racist or culturally insensitive continue to be important reasons why women do not call the police. Notably, the majority of women who had contact with the police reported the encounter as positive.

Calls to Police and Police Response: A Case Study of Latina Immigrant Women in the USA

This paper addresses the experiences of battered immigrant Latina women when contacting police for assistance in attempting to reduce, end or flee violence. The research consists of interviews with 230 battered immigrant Latina women experiencing violence. The analysis examined the factors contributing to the extent, frequency and readiness of the women to call the police. The police response to and the effect of seeking help by battered immigrant Latina women on arrest of the perpetrator were also explored. The results show that the number of times and the frequency of contacting the police among battered immigrant Latina women was far less than would be expected based on their experiences with intimate partner violence. The factors which led women to call the police were mostly related to the stability of their immigration status, their children's exposure to violence, the women's region of origin and the frequency of domestic violence. The police response to this group of women demonstrates a lack of cultural sensitivity, and produces concerns regarding language accessibility and low rates of arrest. The paper concludes with recommendations about the need to better incorporate immigration as an additional factor in understanding intimate partner violence and help-seeking from police. We propose more thorough diversity training of police focusing particularly on immigrant battered women; the availability of interpreters for such calls within the immigrant communities; educating of the police about appropriate culturally based services available in their communities and better understanding of immigration options for battered immigrant women, including the protections afforded by the Violence Against Women Act.

The relationship between street children and the justice system in Egypt

This article examines the relationship between street children and the justice system in Egypt. After introducing the context of street children in the Egyptian case, it explores whether the justice system exacerbates the problem of street children and whether its potential to play a positive part in alleviating the problem should be revisited. The article then explores the basis for the negative perspective on the role of the justice system and the steps required to improve its role in solving the problem of the increasing number of street children. It concludes with a three-pronged approach for the Egyptian justice system to adopt to effectively address the problem of street children. The article is based on an existing knowledge base that is scattered in small-sample empirical studies, large-scale surveys, United Nations reports, newspapers, and a few academic articles written in both English and Arabic.

Wife battery in Islam: a comprehensive understanding of interpretations

This article presents a comprehensive discussion of Islamic interpretations of wife beating. Four schools with varying Islamic perspectives on the issue of wife beating are explored. The schools are classified based on the severity of the patriarchal values reflected in the structural relationship between men (husbands) and women (wives) within the family and the general society. Literal, patriarchal, and feminist interpretations of the Qur'anic text are provided. This review of the range of Islamic interpretations regarding wife beating provides an educational tool for advocates, attorneys, and service providers working with immigrant Muslim women in the United States.

Beyond the shadows: domestic spousal violence in a "democratizing" Egypt

This study provides an exposé of spousal abuse in Egypt in terms of its nature (prevalence, forms, risk factors, reporting), the criminal justice response, available services that deal with it, and its impact on individual women, the family, and the general societal fabric. This study is based on empirical studies, surveys, UN reports, and newspaper articles. Since the beginning of 2000, Egypt has witnessed legal, organizational, and political changes, both generally and concerning women. Some changes address the issue of spousal abuse directly, and others focus on empowering women in family and society. As a result, it is important to develop a baseline profile of spousal abuse for future research on and the evaluation of the effects of such policies and legal changes. This would enable researchers to measure over time strategies that influence change and reduce violence against women. This article provides the first step in the baseline.

Muslims in prison: a case study from Ohio state prisons

The present study explores core issues related to the understudied population of Muslim inmates. Mail questionnaires were sent to the full-time chaplains employed by religious services in thirty Ohio state male prisons. The survey examines: (1) characteristics of Muslim inmates, (2) patterns of identification with Islam, (3) religious behavior inside the prisons, and (4) relations between conversion to Islam and crime committed. Our findings indicate that while the vast majority of Muslim inmates are African-American, they are otherwise similar to the incarcerated population in terms of age, education, and marital status. Most of the Muslims in our sample converted while incarcerated. The devotion of Muslim prisoners in the sample tends to be high as demonstrated by adherence to central religious practices. Finally, we found no relationship between crime and conversion to Islam inside prison. Although our data must be understood as tentative, it offers a basis for further investigation of this population of inmates.