New Book Spotlights Pagan Practice in the Prison System

Was surprised the other day to receive this book in the mail, Paganism for Prisoners: Connecting to the Magic Within by Awyn Dawn. My dear friend who's the director at Cherry Hill Seminary mentioned to Llewellyn--publisher of all things witchy and Pagan--that I might be interested in doing a review. I'd love to given my interest in corrections chaplaincy, however, I barely have time to read my email! Instead, I'm forwarding it to a friend at the NC Piedmont Church of Wicca who is currently organizing some outreach to Pagans in the prison system.

I was delighted to see this book because there really isn't much out there for Pagans who are incarcerated or for the community leaders trying to support them spiritually. Too often, Pagans in prisons or jails get overlooked and marginalized, and there is a lot of pressure to convert to Christianity or other mainstream religions. Also, some Pagans get radicalized by extremist prison groups that promote a racial or nationalist identity that I believe is merely a cover so these groups can meet and recruit more members. So it's important that sincere Pagans in the prison system are supported with quality resources, and that community leaders have access to these as well. Since I haven't read Paganism for Prisoners myself, I can't exactly endorse it, but I'm curious to see the reviews! If nothing else, it will definitely spotlight an important issue of religious access and support in our community.