This week is Prisons Week and an opportunity for us to focus on the remarkable work of four prison chaplains, who share their experiences of life in some of Manchester’s institutions. Along with their statutory duties, which include visiting new prisoners, those on hospital wards, and those kept in segregation, the chaplains are faced with an ever-evolving list of challenges and duties in Manchester’s prisons.
Rev Jo Calladine
“What I find so powerful about chaplaincy is there is no place where God is not… God is here even in prison, in a place full of people despised by society.”
Rev Jo Calladine has been a prison chaplain for 12 years, fulfilling her role in a large multi-faith chaplaincy team that serves prisoners, staff, visitors, and family members of any or no faith. Jo also finds that her role gives her an awareness of any issues within the prison which she is able to share with governors. “We see a lot, we hear a lot, if we know there’s a concern, it’s genuine.”
Of the beautiful chapel housed in the prison, Jo says, “It reminds people of a normality, in a place where things are so abnormal.” It is a place where prisoners can request to come and which has been described by prisoners as having a peaceful feel.
It’s important for Jo that the inmates are treated with respect, and although prisons are a closed world, this is still their home. “A person is worth more than their worst action – that’s fundamental for me,” says Jo. “Prisoners and prisons are scattered throughout the Bible; we can't forget that Jesus was also arrested and convicted.”
Reflecting on a service in the chapel, Jo recalls seeing “the sense of connection between the prisoners and Jesus. They can relate. There should be a closer relationship between people and prison, and it’s about seeing those connections. For churches to understand those connections.’”
Rev Sean Page
“It’s not about having answers… we have to have respect for the human entity. All human beings are made in the image of God and I have to trust that.”
Rev Sean Page’s duties are accompanied by a myriad of additional tasks, whether that be contacting prisoners' relatives if prisoners are unable to, helping and supporting them through any times of hardship, providing spiritual guidance, being on-call overnight, or simply “‘being there, listening, having a cup of tea”.
“Everything is amplified in prison”, he says, “A prison is a place where people can be stressed, and mental health issues can be a very strong concern”. He therefore works alongside the wider chaplaincy and a multidisciplinary team of health workers, NHS professionals, criminal justice workers, and more to offer wrap-around care.
“Support is there for the staff as well as the lads. We work across the barriers” he says. “Because we are chaplains, we are people of faith… even though we have officer rank, we are there as people of faith.” He highlights the importance too of volunteer chaplains, who are an integral part of the chaplaincy service. “They are all stalwarts – their contribution to the team is amazing.”
His prison’s chapel is a multi-faith space that is used for services, where prisoners can put their name down and come along as anyone would to a service in the outside world. Sean also leads Bible study and runs courses that help people explore faith.
Reflecting on his role, Rev Sean sees it as accompanying people on their journeys, whatever they may look like. “The baseline of the Emmaus journey is the overall parallel. There’s a song that goes ‘We are companions on the journey’ - that for me, sums it up perfectly.”
Rev Hilary Edgerton
“We have to see the grace of God in our own lives. If we don’t we will condemn everybody – Jesus did not condemn everybody, he offered a new direction.”
A prison chaplain for seven years, Rev Hilary Edgerton first felt a calling to come and hear prisoners’ untold stories following a clergy conference. These stories are something she has encountered throughout her time as a chaplain.
“You come to understand people’s backgrounds, you see how many people grew up being disadvantaged. I have a sense of belief in the forgiveness of people who are deeply repentant… What keeps me going is that people who are repentant need to know they can be forgiven, and people who have had an awful upbringing can be shown that there is another way of life.”
Alongside chaplains of different faith denominations, Hilary’s chaplaincy team pays daily visits to every wing of the prison, carrying out statutory duties alongside a varied list of daily tasks.
The chaplains also provide a spiritual aspect to life for anyone who wishes to access it. “I personally have never been so much of an evangelist as I am in the prison,” Hilary says, noting that many prisoners turn towards God at the lowest point in their lives.
In recent times, Hilary has seen first-hand how the prison service as a whole has been struggling and how people are being stretched to their limit, stating: “Much of the stuff in the media about the prison service is true. There is very low morale.”
This makes the support she offers as a chaplain more essential than ever. “It’s nice for people to talk to someone who hasn’t got a uniform… we represent something different to them than the people who are part of the criminal justice system.”
Rev Rhiannon Jones
“There’s a quote that talks about ‘seeking God in every person’… that’s the bottom line for me.”
Rev Rhiannon had always been interested in people on the margins. When she was a curate she volunteered in Strangeways and was mentored by another prison chaplain, and it was from there that she started her journey.
Rhiannon’s experience as a prison chaplain differs slightly from the others, as she works in a remand centre which sees a constant flow of new people coming in and out.
She sees people who are waiting to appear in court and are undergoing their trial, or who have just been sentenced and are waiting to be transferred to prison. She also visits new arrivals, people on the health unit, and those in segregation, meeting people’s pastoral needs in whatever faith they might be.
Rhiannon’s role includes “being with people where they are”, as people experience loss and bereavement, and are at a point of desperation in their lives. This too extends to the staff working in high-pressure environments: “We’re here for them as well, whether that’s in prayer, being a presence, an alternative space; whatever it is they need.”
“You feel you are a link in a long and strong chain,” she says. “It says in the Bible about making the most of every opportunity, because that may be the only one… if a guy comes in and feels he wants to make changes in his life and decides to engage in chaplaincy and will come to groups and services, then we facilitate that.”
Chaplains have an opportunity to show that “this is not all there is and change is possible”, and recognise that the chaplaincy team has the opportunity to reach people in a way that other departments can’t. “We say if you can’t think of anyone who can help with your issue, you can come and ask us.”
For Rhiannon, ultimately, “people are here as human beings and we’re responding to them as a human”.