Prison Chaplaincy: Restorative Personality Therapy

Empirical Social Engagement within the Hungarian Prison Context

Abstract

Pastoral care is an integrative discipline that requires applying multiple perspectives and frameworks to real situations. In the prison context, complex circumstances demand complex responses, combining theology and the human sciences to address both structural evil and individual guilt. Pastoral care involves inherent tensions, as practitioners must integrate diverse approaches within their professional identity. Prison chaplains must continually cultivate and defend this identity while working alongside educators, psychologists, and officers, explaining their role in accessible terms. A social-scientific background helps justify how pastoral conversation supports penal aims. The work’s distinctiveness lies in its grounding in faith and theological reflection, offering confidential accompaniment and counselling to inmates.