Prison Chaplaincy
The BCV has been running a program of chaplaincy to Buddhist prisoners since 2002. In that year the BCV was approached by CORE, the public correctional organization, to initiate the service.
Prisoners from the Buddhist faith constitute only a small percentage of the total prison population, approximately 2%: or, in numerical terms,
around 200 prisoners. The chaplaincy project has been managed as a
sub-committee of the BCV, with Libby Shields as the co-ordinator, and
with the assistance of several member temples, notably the Quang Minh
Temple (Vietnamese), the Soen Centre (Korean) and Jikishoan (Japanese).
There are now five Sangha from several different Buddhist communities and traditions visiting prisoners on a regular basis and a number of other Sangha who have visited prisoners on an 'as-needs' basis.
