Chaplaincy
Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women funds two part-time chaplains at the minimum-security Raleigh Unit of the North Carolina Correctional Institute for Women to steward religious and spiritual life at the prison and teach a variety of faith-based, self-empowerment classes. The chaplains - who are trained through Clinical Pastoral Education - provide support and resources so that women of all faiths and cultures have an opportunity to practice their faith while in prison.
Our chaplains meet the religious, spiritual and pastoral needs of women and provide nurturing support as they transition back into their families and communities. A primary responsibility of the chaplains is to coordinate with outside groups and individuals to locate and acquire community volunteers who can provide religious services and activities inside the prison.
The women enjoy a dedicated space called "The Hope Center", for chaplaincy events such as:
To meet the needs of the women in all areas of their lives, the chaplains also assist with life skills workshops on topics including:
IPMW also partners with Duke Divinity, the DPS and the School for Conversion in offering Project TURN (Transform, Unlock, ReNew), which creates a learning environment in which incarcerated men and women and students from outside prisons can learn alongside one another as classmates. These graduate-level classes balance academic training and personal spiritual development to offer a unique experience in which diverse students stretch their boundaries and enlarge their imaginations.
The program was created in 2009 at the Raleigh Unit, and has since expanded to other men's and women's prisons throughout North Carolina. To date, six women have successfully graduated with Duke Divinity School’s “Certificate of Achievement in Theological Education" as a result of having taken eight classes through this program.
Our chaplains work closely with prison staff to ensure all women have time for daily prayer, if that is a part of their faith, and that they can attend prison religious services on a regular basis. The chaplains have knowledge in and experience with a wide variety of religions and their practices to meet the needs of all who reside at NCCIW The Raleigh Unit. IPMW staff offers direct programming 30 hours per week and oversees 225+ volunteers onsite at the prison to increase our impact with roughly a 1:2 volunteer to resident ratio. Through these programs, we serve between 400 - 500 incarcerated women each year.
Our chaplains meet the religious, spiritual and pastoral needs of women and provide nurturing support as they transition back into their families and communities. A primary responsibility of the chaplains is to coordinate with outside groups and individuals to locate and acquire community volunteers who can provide religious services and activities inside the prison.
The women enjoy a dedicated space called "The Hope Center", for chaplaincy events such as:
- Liturgical Calendar Services
- Pastoral Counseling
- Religious Studies
- Spiritual Enrichment
- Worship Services
To meet the needs of the women in all areas of their lives, the chaplains also assist with life skills workshops on topics including:
- Substance Abuse
- Grief & Loss Support
- Racial Diversity
- Codependency
- Addiction Recovery
- Leadership
- Elder resources and support
IPMW also partners with Duke Divinity, the DPS and the School for Conversion in offering Project TURN (Transform, Unlock, ReNew), which creates a learning environment in which incarcerated men and women and students from outside prisons can learn alongside one another as classmates. These graduate-level classes balance academic training and personal spiritual development to offer a unique experience in which diverse students stretch their boundaries and enlarge their imaginations.
The program was created in 2009 at the Raleigh Unit, and has since expanded to other men's and women's prisons throughout North Carolina. To date, six women have successfully graduated with Duke Divinity School’s “Certificate of Achievement in Theological Education" as a result of having taken eight classes through this program.
Our chaplains work closely with prison staff to ensure all women have time for daily prayer, if that is a part of their faith, and that they can attend prison religious services on a regular basis. The chaplains have knowledge in and experience with a wide variety of religions and their practices to meet the needs of all who reside at NCCIW The Raleigh Unit. IPMW staff offers direct programming 30 hours per week and oversees 225+ volunteers onsite at the prison to increase our impact with roughly a 1:2 volunteer to resident ratio. Through these programs, we serve between 400 - 500 incarcerated women each year.