Mothers’ spirituality and religion in the criminal justice system

ABSTRACTThe number of mothers in the criminal justice system (CJS) increased over 700% in the past 25 years. Little is known about these mothers’ spirituality and religion. Our review of quantitative (n = 1,170) and qualitative (n = 87) data from mothers’ experiences and concluded that while spiritual wellness was important to most, the participants had varied spiritual views and practices. The authors provide suggestions for counseling to improve spiritual wellness of mothers in the CJS.