Abstract
The Evangelical leader Charles W. Olson had promoted his dream of a 'Christian prison' for years. After he was convicted for his role in the Watergate scandal, this former aid of President Nixon was released from jail in 1975. He founded then, the Prison Fellowship Program in 1976. This program developed rapidly, on a national and international scale, supported by private donations. In the United-States, it provides Bible studies and seminars to more than 200,000 inmates (roughly 10% of the total prison population). But regular worships were not enough to fulfil Olson's will, he believed in, 'creating a prison environment that fosters respect for God's laws and the rights of others, and to encourage the spiritual and moral regeneration of prisoners'. At the Humanita prison in Brazil, Olson had the opportunity to discover what a private Christian charity prison is. Impressed by the atmosphere of peace in the facility, as well as the low rate of recidivism, Olson was even more eager to export this concept to the US. This intrusion of 'churches behind bars' is not a recent phenomenon in the US. Let's just remind the prison chaplaincies, the involvement of Quakers for ex-convicts rehabilitation or, as many studies show, the influence of religious principles in the conception of modern prisons. Clear goes as far as to say that "the history of incarceration is intimately intertwined with religious movements" . However, it seems that public authorities will to encourage the growing incursion of churches in prisons reveals a recent evolution, which becomes visible through the proliferation of faith-based programs. A faith-based prison program refers to a dorm or an entire prison managed by religious volunteers, aiming at reducing recidivism through 'spiritual transformation'. In fact, faith-based prison programs are overwhelmingly conducted by evangelical churches. Obviously, evangelical movement is diverse and divided. Volunteers come from a wide range of local churches, more or less institutionalized.
