J Relig Health

DOI 10.1007/s10943-014-9878-3
ORIGINAL PAPER

Court Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care in Australia:

An Exploratory Study
Lindsay B. Carey

 Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Abstract This paper summarizes an exploratory study undertaken to consider the work
of Australian chaplaincy personnel ministering to people proceeding through emotionally
challenging judicial court proceedings. This qualitative research (a first among Australian
court chaplains) was not concerned with specific court procedures per se, but predominantly about the perspectives of chaplains concerning their professional contribution and
issues they experienced while trying to assist people struggling with court processes. Data
from a single focus group indicated that court chaplains were striving to fulfill religious
and spiritual duties according to national and international standards. Given various
frustrations identified by chaplain participants, which either impeded or thwarted their
professional role as chaplains, a number of improvements were subsequently identified in
order to develop the efficiency and effectiveness of court chaplaincy and thus maximize the
benefits of spiritual and pastoral care to people in court. Implications of this exploratory
study relate not only to court chaplaincy but also to ecclesiastical organizations, governments and the need of support for further research to be conducted.
Keywords
care

Chaplain
Court
Court chaplaincy
Spiritual care
Pastoral

Introduction
Chaplains working within the Australian court system, and who participated in this
research, were very aware of the importance of their role in terms of providing the judicial
system with a non-legal alternative for dealing effectively and compassionately with
people in awkward circumstances. As stated by one court chaplain:

L. B. Carey (&)
Palliative Care Unit, Department of Health, School of Public Health and Human Biosciences, La Trobe
University (City Campus), 215 Franklin St., Melbourne, VIC, Australia
e-mail: Lindsay.Carey@latrobe.edu.au

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Our previous magistrate would often call us (chaplains) in court and say, You have
heard so and so what am I going to do with them? I dont want to send them to
prison. What options can you offer me? [C1].
This exploratory study indicated that, in attempting to fulfill the needs of those proceeding through court proceedings, the role of the court chaplain is similar to that of the
prison chaplainit is highly varied and demanding (Carey and Del Medico 2013). Of
course, some may attempt to argue that the work of a court chaplain can hardly be
considered spiritual care; however, given the contemporary understanding of spirituality,
there can be no doubt that judiciary proceedings are often a significant moment in the life
of any person that often challenges their meaning and purpose in life and the way they
interconnect with others:
Spirituality is that aspect of humanity which refers to the way individuals seek and
express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the
moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred (Puchalski et al.
2009).
Unfortunately, for reasons of individual confidentiality, time and space, not all the data
gained from this research can be presented within this article. Nevertheless, the thematic
issues identified will present a resume of the significant struggles and hopes of court
chaplains working within the court system. This, in turn, will hopefully lead to some
practical improvements and to more substantial research in the future that will provide
beneficial feedback to assist chaplaincy departments and court services irrespective of the
state or country in which they operate.
It is also important to note that while there is an increasing amount of literature and
research produced within most Western countries with regard to other areas of chaplaincyparticularly health-care chaplaincy (e.g., Swift et al. 2012)unfortunately, very
little has been substantiated concerning court chaplaincy. This particular study may prove
to be the first systematic qualitative study of chaplaincy within court services.

Research Aims
This research had two distinct aims: (1) to systematically explore the various ministry
concerns experienced by chaplains providing ministry within courts and (2) ascertain
strategies for improving chaplaincy ministry to those in court proceedings.

Method
In order to fulfill the requirements of a social scientific enquiry, a qualitative methodology
was selected for this particular research utilizing a focus group technique (Bryman 2012)
which involved a 3-h single focus group exploring the role of chaplains working within a
court precinct. The chaplains who were asked to participate comprised Salvation Army
court chaplains working either part time or full time within one or more court house
facilities in one state of Australia.
Of those receiving an invitation to participate (n = 11), eight chaplains (n = 8/11:
72.7 %) attended and signed a participants consent form. At the time of the study there
were approximately 168 local courts in the chosen state that potentially could make use of,

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or develop, chaplaincy services. This means that, for example, less than 5 % of courts
(4.76 %) actually had such services (Table 1) and this percentage does not include district
courts or the state supreme court. Those court chaplains whom attended the focus group
engaged in a structured focus group schedule to discuss their work in these courts but
were encouraged to broaden their input beyond the set questions (if they so wished)
to include other facets beyond their court work that they might consider relevant tangents.
Focus Group Schedule
The focus group schedule of questions, designed to illicit participant responses, was formulated
for this research based on six main literature sources utilized in previous chaplaincy research to
determine common chaplaincy roles and tasks for correctional service chaplaincy (Carey and
Del Medico 2013). These sources were: (1) The Geneva Conventions (1949), (2) The United
Nations Standards of Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (UN 1955/1977), (3) The
Health Care Chaplaincy Guidelines (AHWCA 2002), (4) The role and resourcing of Corrective Services Chaplaincy in New South Wales by the Civil Chaplaincies Advisory Committee (CCACNSW 1999) and (5) Prison Chaplaincy, by The Heads of Christian Churches
Chaplaincy Advisory Committee of South Australia (HCCCACSA 2002b) and the World
Health Organizations International Classification of Diseases, Pastoral Intervention codings,
Vol. 10Australian Modification (WHO 2002; Carey 2012). By comparing the above

Table 1 Court chaplains and state local courts represented in focus group research
Category

Total

Chaplaincy personnela
State Local Courtsb

Focus group

11

168

8c

%
72.2
4.76

Number of Salvation Army court chaplains in the chosen state (some court chaplains also served as parttime prison chaplains)

Number of courts within the chosen state

Number of state courts represented by focus group participants

Table 2 Common role codes for correctional chaplaincy (Carey and Del Medico 2013)
Chaplaincy tasks/roles

Codification reference

Pastoral assessment

ICD-10-AM/CLCC/HCCCAC/UN/AHWCA

Pastoral ministry/support

ICD-10-AM/CLCC/UN/AHWCA

Pastoral counseling/education

ICD-10-AM/CLCC/UN/AHWCA

Pastoral ritual/worship

ICD-10-AM/CLCC/UN/GEN/AHWCA

Pastoral welfare

CLCC/HCCCAC/AHWCA

Religious resources

UN/HCCCAC/GEN/AHWCA

Inter-religious facilitation

CLCC/UN/HCCCAC/AHWCA

Institutional liaison

CLCC/UN/HCCCAC/AHWCA

Community relations

CLCC/HCCCAC/AHWCA

Facilities coordination

CLCC/HCCCAC/AHWCA

AHWCA (2002), CCACNSW (1999), ICRC (1949), HCCCACSA (2002a), WHO (2002), UNESCO (1977)

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documents, it was possible to identify ten chaplaincy roles where there was common ground
between at least three or more of the documents sourced and were subsequently utilized for this
research (refer Table 2).
Some additional roles were categorized, specifically formulated by the Salvation Army,
in conjunction with the researcher. These categories were used to ascertain information
that would be beneficial for the long-term planning of chaplaincy services within courts.
The categories covered questions and issues relating to visitation time, chaplaincy
administration, chaplaincy relevance, rural versus city chaplaincy, chaplaincy cost efficiency and cost effectiveness (refer Table 3). It is important to note that two areas which
were not incorporated into this research related to the pastoral care of court staff and their
families. While both these other areas were worthy of study, it was beyond the bounds of
this specific research.
Analysis
The court chaplaincy focus group meeting was audiotaped and transcribed. The transcribed
data were coded thematically utilizing the key issues of research exploration (refer
Table 3) which were based on the common chaplaincy role codes determined from the
documents noted earlier (refer Table 2). Some cross-transference of data collation was
implemented where material presented by focus group participants was relevant to more
than one specific question and/or theme. A second coder, experienced in qualitative
research, was used to check the initial thematic codings. Inter-coder agreement was
achieved following discussion, though it was recognized, by both the researcher and the
second coder, that some data which could have been coded were beyond the bounds of the
research focus.

Results
Pastoral Assessment
Focus group participants identified that the main target groups that court chaplaincy had
engaged and pastorally assessed included (a) defendants, (b) informants, (c) legal services,
(d) magistrates, (e) office of corrections, (f) police, (g) prosecutors, (h) victims and
(i) witnesses. Requests for assistance had also come by invitation from families and
community representatives (e.g., parish clergy and other chaplains).
Some chaplains assessed the need of clients, and/or possibly their families, to require
someone to be with them during the court process to offer support and/or to explain court
proceedings and help them clarify their options. Other chaplains acknowledged their role in
Table 3 Key themes of research exploration regarding court chaplaincy ministry
Pastoral assessment

Visitation time

Pastoral ministry/support

Chaplaincy administration

Pastoral counseling and education

Chaplaincy relevance

Ritual/worship

Chaplaincy ministrycity versus rural

Community relations

Chaplaincy service improvement

Facilities coordination

Chaplaincy cost efficiency

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terms of formally accepting responsibility for a client and being approved by the magistrate
to engage the client in a recognized program. As stated by one chaplain:
I usually get my clients from either barristers or the magistrate thats when they
look at the case and say (to me), This particular client has lost their child simply
because there is no parenting skills, would you mind standing up ?. So I stand up,
Yes your Honor. Can you deal with this client?, Yes your Honor. And so
then they say it is okay, This case will be adjourned for 12 weeks. That will allow
me to do the Positive Lifestyle Program for 10 weeks and to do a cooking class
and I show them how to clean a house get back to court and assess the matter as to
whether the person can have their child back or not [C2].
At other times, chaplains would assess whether clients have immediate family communication needs (i.e., the clients family may not be aware of their relatives court
appearance), and thus, the chaplain can inform and provide support to the family enabling
them to organize legal representation and support for the client. There was however some
criticism from court chaplains regarding those clients needing immediate assessment for
rehabilitation and education, but little was available. This is noted with more detail later
(refer Pastoral Counseling and Education).
Pastoral Ministry
While a court chaplains presence and representation may initially be considered minimal,
nevertheless, focus group participants identified that it can be important in several ways,
namely by (1) listening to some ones case and providing a plea and/or strategic referral
advice, (2) making contact with and advising family members and significant others and
(3) making referrals to lawyers. Similar to other forms of chaplaincy, court chaplains noted
that their mere presence, whether actually engaged or not, achieved several outcomes just
by being there in court. These outcomes included the following:
Being present so that those facing court would know that there are chaplains available
for themsomebody outside the legal system who wants to care about them and wants
to help them.
Court chaplaincy presence and assistance, particularly for those who have never been to
court before, can help to relieve anxiety and frustration for clients by providing support,
guidance and information that is non-proselytizing and non-judgemental.
Court chaplaincy presence helps fulfill the requirements of natural justice and legal
obligations, particularly with regard to juveniles.
Court chaplaincy presence within courts helps to provide a connection to chaplaincy
ministry within the prison system for those clients who are incarcerated following court
proceedings.
Court chaplaincy also provides a supportive role to relatives of clients engaged in court
proceedings.
Contributing to the process of justice by assisting individuals, unfamiliar with court
processes and not having representation, was echoed by several chaplains as being a very
important form of support. One chaplain gave the following example:
Often the domestic violence liaison officers will come and say to me, Would you
go and sit with the husband of the partner or whoever, of this lady? Because he
doesnt understand what is going on and we feel he needs someone there with him

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during court. So I will spend time sitting with these men or women in some cases,
the offenders, explaining to them what is going on, explaining to them what they can
do, whether they want to say, Well, no I am not guilty of this and go to hearing or
whatever. I am able to tell them the different things that are available to them under
the circumstances [C3].
Another chaplain noted the way the legal system utilized his availability by being asked
by the police to sit with clients during formal interviewsif they cannot get anybody else
to fulfill this roleparticularly during evening hours. Likewise, another chaplain with
regard to juveniles stated: Where there is children involved with a domestic violence, and
it has been against a child, the court, that I work in, wont allow the children to give
evidence. So they (the children) give it on television and I am the one that goes and sits
with the children in the room where the television cameras are while (the children) are
giving their evidence to the magistrate [C4].
Another ministry of presence and assessment role that might be fulfilled by court
chaplains was that of supervising parental access. As stated by one chaplain:
I have been supervising access visits for fathers who have left a relationship because
of a violent act or anger, or whatever the father of the child can only see that child
on supervised visits and after a period of three months then he was allowed to
have, on my recommendation, my assessment, to have sole access for short times and
now he is having the little one for all day I have found that the magistrate is
looking for that kind of role, just having someone like us assess over a period of time
his suitability for sole access [C5].
Generally speaking, the majority of chaplains believed that most of the court staff are
terrific toward having the presence of a chaplain. One chaplain noted however that you
always get that point one of a percent that do not think you should be helping. They dont
see you as having a role of being there [C6]. Most agreed that, generally speaking the
magistrates are very good but they can so easily refuse your place without being nasty
[C7].
Pastoral Counseling and Education
Chaplains noted that, once engaged with clients, there could be very immediate and
practical requests made, such as (1) the need for a cup of coffee, (2) making a phone call,
(3) request for cigarettes (not permitted), (4) blankets, (5) playing cards or (6) a bible
(possibly intended, for example, for smoking, clogging the toilet or starting fires). Beyond
these issues, however, chaplains could be involved in providing pastoral counseling to
clients and family on a range of issues, particularly in terms of past instances that may have
led to court proceedings, such as sexual abuse or mental health issues.
Some chaplains found themselves in dialog between clients and their parents, being the
liaison to try to secure their release from court cells, which means getting to know the
family. As one chaplain related:
They (clients) say, Will you ring my mother she doesnt know where I am. So
you ring the parents their parents say, No, they are on their own - caused enough
trouble and this is it, your on your own. (The clients then say). Will you ring my
father then, hes living with his new wife. So he might say, I will help them this
once. So I think it is the family I seem to have more to do with [C8].

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In addition to client and family counseling, jury members, though notified of the
availability of psychologists (at a price), may still call upon the chaplain to assist in times
of stress. As one chaplain noted: Now on occasions a sheriff would say, Will you talk to
this woman, she just lost her husband last week, or something, ..and she couldnt get out
of it (court duty) and she is pretty upset [C2].
Chaplains also provided referrals to assist clients: Ill wait (in court) until I find out
what is going to happen to them. If they are sentenced, then I will speak to their solicitor
and suggest that they link into the psychologist at the prison and have him or her work with
them and to work their way through counselling [C3]. Some court chaplains were able to
make referrals using their own denominational resources to programs such as (a) Positive
Lifestyle, (b) Self Esteem development, (c) Anger Management and (d) Rehabilitation
Services (e.g., drug and alcohol).
However, similar to complaints made by prison chaplains (Carey and Del Medico
2013), some court chaplains were concerned about making referrals to certain organizations. Several court chaplains expressed concern that some organizations did not follow
through adequately enough in terms of processing or communication with clients. It was
affirmed by all participants chaplains that additional pastoral counseling and educational
facilities were and are needed.
Pastoral Ritual and Worship
Court chaplains did not raise issues of complaint concerning client access or use of chapel
facilities per se, simply because court chaplains did not have chapel facilities as part of
court house complexes. Not having such a facility or place of retreat however raised other
concerns for court chaplains which will be mentioned later under facilities and coordination. One chaplain noted, however, that in order to develop some sense of ritual and
worship at the court house so as to enhance staff spirituality and sense of well-being
(amidst the stress of court issues), he conducted pre-court prayer meetings in the court,
which were primarily attended by court staff, but clients were also welcome to attend if
they were able and so wished.
Community Relations
With regard to community relations, one chaplain noted that people arent aware of
what we (court chaplains) are doing and that is our faultmost of us here would be the first
chaplains in our courts and people would not know what we do. Another chaplain
indicated that there was some resentment by some people toward his court chaplaincy
ministry: I use to get people saying to me, Id love your job sitting in court all day
(Id reply) Hey come on get real. Come and work with me for a day. I am there at
7.45 AM in the morning and very lucky if I am out of there at 6 PM [C3]. The same
chaplain noted that others were not approving of such a ministry at all:
See, I think (people) have a problem about why we (court chaplains) do what we do.
That we are in with criminals who knock old people down to the ground, who go
and rape girls whatever. My answer is always, While there is a God who loves
them, I will love them and I will keep them. And the other thing I put to them is, If
it was your son, your daughter, your husband, wouldnt you like somebody there.
And their whole attitude changes. (They say) I never thought of it that way [C2].

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One chaplain noted that it was very disappointing when within her own corps there can
be a level of bigotry toward her and her family: When I take my children to the different
corps they are automatically targeted with a name because most people know (disapprovingly) where I am and what I am doing[C2]. For other chaplains, however, there
was a good reception at their citadels for themselves but not necessarily for the clients
they may bring along with them. A reason for this, suggested by one chaplain, is that the
community may perceive court chaplains supporting the very criminals that may break and
enter your house and steal belongings: They are not going to give money to the Salvation
Army for you to say (to criminals), Gidday mate, how are you going?[C5].
One suggestion offered, to assist chaplains in the role of educating the wider community
and religious organizations, could be to increase the presentation of educational materials
with a specific chaplaincy focus (e.g., videos, power point presentations, displays, wall
calendars, mass media advertisements, liturgy materials, etc.) that have a distinct economic and social benefit message about chaplaincy to the community and to religious
organizations. Another suggestion could be the election of a Chaplaincy Sunday, similar
to Defence Force Sunday (which has usually been the Sunday prior to ANZAC memorial
day), to regularly raise awareness of chaplaincy.
Another suggestion, argued by Carlson (1972) over 50 years ago, was to deliberately
commence a program of collaboration between existing court chaplains to mentor people
in court chaplaincy from, for example, local congregations, or in association with ecclesiastical training colleges, or those wanting to complete clinical pastoral education (CPE).
Carlson noted that with the increased involvement of additional personnel even if initially
for only half a day a week, such collaboration brings benefits to (1) court clients, (2) the
court staff, (3) the court chaplains, (4) ecclesiastical representatives, (5) CPE supervisors,
(6) religious authorities/organizations and (7) the whole court and legal system. Carlson
concluded that such a combination brings an important ray of hope to the lives of many
troubled people (Carlson 1972, p. 22).
Facilities and Facilities Coordination
The variety of facilities available to chaplains varied depending upon the court house in
which they worked. Some had good offices specifically classed for the chaplains. Some
chaplains were, at times, able to obtain the use of a legal office. For the majority however,
office facilities and supporting equipment were limited and, in most cases, there was no
place for retreat to be in private to discuss a clients personal circumstances. For some
chaplains their office was a bench outside the court, on the steps, behind the garbage bin, a chair in the foyer or, sometimes there are no chairs, sometimes I just
kneel on the floor in front of them [C1C5].
Several chaplains noted that because they do not have an office space, they undertook
home visits. Other chaplains however were not comfortable undertaking this process
because of the type of client. All chaplains seemed to be in agreement that, without some
form of space to retreat to, that, not only was there no place of respite for chaplains and
clients from court process and crowded court houses, but that there was also no hope of
maintaining absolute and professional confidentiality.
All court chaplains recognized, as part of future planning, the benefits of property
acquisition by their own organization, or the rental of office space, close to the court house
for the use of chaplains. As one chaplain stated: If I had an office or somewhere I could take
people to and talk to, it would help a lot [C1]. The suggestion was made that the army
needs to approach the court magistrates at that level to gain support to achieve such a goal.

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Visitation Time
Court chaplains did not indicate substantial access problems to clients within the courts
or within court cells. Limitations were primarily in terms of the demand upon chaplains to
effectively deal with client issues, particularly given the nature and variety of the issues per
person and the number of people needing assistance. There was also indication that some
clients however could become abusive toward chaplains. Yet as indicated earlier, some
chaplains undertook home visits in an attempt to be more effective and efficient. While this
strategy may be suitable with some clients, it was affirmed again that it was most certainly
not considered appropriate with other clients.
Chaplaincy Administration
The majority of court chaplains did not indicate that religious administrative requirements
were too much of a burdenalthough there was frustration in that some court chaplains
lacked adequate office facilities and equipment to administrate effectively. One administrative issue noted was in relation to issues regarding referrals and arranging accommodation. There was a sense of frustration at the volume of organizational work required,
which could often be due to a lack of accommodation and thus the result a poor outcome
adding to the frustration of chaplains, court staff, clients and their family. The major
administrative concern for some chaplains however was the desire and request for their
superiors to actually visit their place of ministry to experience their needs and thus
hopefully understand the dynamics behind their requests for support.
Chaplaincy Relevance
Several chaplains noted that their ministry was relevant simply because it primarily
involved care and compassion at times of great need. As noted by one chaplain:
We go in there (to court) with a non-judgmental attitude when you are hurting
really badly, you dont want, at that point anyway, a whole lot of scripture talk to
you. You need someone to care for you and to point you in the right direction and to
be a support to you and a comforter to you, (then) gradually the rapport comes
between you. You can talk about more spiritual things then (if they want)[C6].
Other issues affecting the court chaplains ability to be relevant included issues of
adequate office space for pastoral counseling, accommodation for clients, increased provision of pastoral ministry to juveniles, increasing the number of chaplains available and
improving community/church liaison (refer Chaplaincy Service Improvement section).
Rural and City
Court chaplains in country areas were quick to acknowledge that their workload in rural
areas was less than in city areas. Nevertheless, rural court chaplains believed that their task
was much harder than their city colleagues because in the country areas, We have no
accommodation, no nothing [C3]. Several chaplains contributed to this discussion in the
same vein:
(If) they have to release someone at (approximately) 10 PM, they cant hold him,
and you can get a bloke that is coming out in a pair of shorts and a pair of thongs and

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it is minus 6 degrees, and it is 10.30 PM at night There is no train until 10.30 am

the next morning Where do you put him? Where do you get a bed at 10.30PM?
Where you (can) put him is in a motel and you make the Salvation Army pay we
(can) do that but there is hardly any motels available in (this town) [C8].
Several city chaplains agreed that that they had access to overnight accommodation:
We are so fortunate we got places that just have a room (for the night) so we really
do tap into outside the Christian framework [C2]. The issue of accommodation was of
particular concern to juveniles facing court proceedings within country areas: The Salvation Army do not offer any accommodation for juveniles and they dont offer any
rehabs or anything for children. There is (currently) nothing [C3].
Chaplaincy Service Improvement
Throughout the focus group time, participants made six recommendations for improving
court chaplaincy ministry. These were sub-coded in relation to the following: (a) office
space/facilities, (b) accommodation, (c) additional chaplaincy staff (d) juvenile support,
(d) community support, (e) increased chaplaincy staff and (f) improved senior staff/
management liaison.
(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

Office space/facilities: For those chaplains that did not have office facilities to consult
and minister to clients, their relatives and other representatives, this was an important
issue that needed improvement.
Accommodation: There was the recognition by all chaplains that in order to be more
efficient and effective, greater support was needed with regard to providing
supportive accommodation in the communityparticularly within country areas.
Increased Chaplaincy Staff: All chaplains saw it as a priority for future ministry to
have a chaplain at every court house across the state. The principle of proactive
recruitment and training seems equally appropriate to court chaplaincy as it does to
prison chaplaincy.
Juvenile Support: A clear recommendation for improvement was to increase
chaplaincy office space, client accommodation and the number of chaplaincy staff to
help juveniles. This was considered vital given that chaplains were attempting to
educate offenders to break the cycle of crime and to eventually become selfsufficient and responsible and thus avoid the wheel of misfortune as early as
possible (Gittens 2002).
Community Support: There was recognition that chaplains needed to improve their
community relations and support. Court chaplains noted that this was in their court
to ensure better community understanding of the role of court chaplains particularly
within the wider church.
Senior staff/management liaison: Similar to concerns expressed by prison chaplains,
concern was also expressed by court chaplains that senior management wouldnt
know what we (court chaplains) do!. Or as another chaplain stated:

They know we go to court (but) they wouldnt know if it looked like a supermarket
or a swimming pool whether we do or dont get out at night they just got no
idea because (of) the rough and tumble of the court house. I mean you get called
terrible names sometimes. I was abused something bad this morning by a fellow. It is
the cut and thrust of the cell, the hurting spirits and all that sort of stuff [C3].

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Table 4 Cost-efficient and cost-effective services of court chaplaincy
Chaplaincy in-court presence to clients, barristers and court staff provide information, encouragement
and support during times of grief and frustration which helps to relieve stress and increase
productiveness.
Chaplaincy in-court counseling allows people to identify their underlying problems and assist to
redirect clients lives to move out of the wheel of misfortune and consequently avoid prison which
saves the community increased costs.
Chaplaincy in-court referrals made to church/community resources so as to organize or provide
donated food, clothing and accommodation support, as able, for those encountering the court system.
Chaplaincy educational positive lifestyle programs offer help to clients address and deal with identified
problems in practical ways (e.g., insights into relationship techniques that help to heal, mend and build
families, practical skills regarding domestic duties, accountability, etc.), thus supporting clients to
properly reintegrate into the community, thus reducing crime and costs to society.
Chaplaincy educational training/community service programs assist clients lives to be redirected,
turned around and changed to being more productive both for themselves and toward others and
consequently are less likely to re-offend and thus save community costs.

Several chaplains extended an invitation to senior management to get their hands

absolutely very dirty. As requested by one chaplain: I would really like them to come and
have a look at what happens and spend a day or a week (with us) a lot of our work is
emotional, mental, it is not so much physical it is the emotional, mental. I think most of
them are good people but I would just love, officially, for the secretary and his wife to be
stationed with us for a month. I mean they would have their eyes opened real big. We have
had, the one or two, that have come and have a look and walked around for a day, and they
have said, I had no idea, no idea, that his is what it was like. And that what I feel we
need. To have more of our leaders see what happens and then they would understand
when we have a need and we sought of express it to them, they would understand because
they have been there with us [C5].
Chaplaincy Cost Efficiency and Cost Effectiveness
Court chaplains believed that, the courts, get it cheap. They get a good product
cheaply [C1. Others believed that the chaplaincy work done in courts was so worthy that,
it cant be estimated in cost [C2]. The cost benefits listed by court chaplains are summarized in Table 4. One chaplain, arguing the benefits of court chaplaincy to individuals
and the community, tried to summarize the advantages:
We might have helped them to get from one point to another, we might have found
them accommodation we might have found them something suitable to wear when
they are facing the court but more importantly we might have given them emotional
and spiritual support at that point which was the catalyst to change [C8].

Epilogue and Recommendations

This study provided an overview of some of the key issues affecting chaplaincy and their
spiritual care within court houses. It cannot be considered a comprehensive measure simply
because only one focus group within one state was implemented within this review.

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Table 5 Recommendations for enhancing court chaplaincy
Pastoral assessments Good patterns/methods of communication between chaplains in the field and
relevant organizations need to be assured to facilitate better support for clients and chaplains.
Pastoral ministry Priority needs to be given to increasing chaplaincy personnel and services within
courts and particularly within those administrating juveniles, so as to more effectively help to break the
wheel of misfortune and the cycle of crime.
Pastoral counseling and education Improved access to supportive accommodation, counseling and
education programs is requiredparticularly for juveniles.
Ritual and worship Court chaplains need to be provided with space in which they could quietly retreat
with people to reflect, meditate and pray with clients and/or others involved in proceedings (refer
facilities and facilities coordination).
Facilities/facilities coordination Strategies need to be explored with appropriate government personnel
to provide adequate office facilities and equipment for all court chaplains so as to improve their
efficiency and effectiveness. Such facilities will also help to encourage the use of resources that will
enhance an understanding of a positive and worshipful lifestyle. Such facilities would also help to
improve chaplainclient confidentiality and allow chaplains to meet with clients in a neutral and more
secure environment.
Cost efficiency/effectiveness Appropriate recording of ministry services need to be undertaken that help
to substantiate the cost efficiency and cost effectiveness of court chaplaincy services. Such action,
combined with improved community relations and support, will highlight the worthiness of additional
denominational and government funding being allocated to court chaplaincy.
Community relations/support Resources need to be developed to educate the wider community and
religious organizations about the valuable work of court chaplaincy (e.g., videos, power point
presentations, displays, testimonials, mass media advertisements, liturgy materials, etc.) emphasizing a
distinct social and economic benefit message to the community.
Departmental chaplaincy care (1) So as to prevent chaplains experiencing isolation or becoming lone
rangers, chaplaincy departments need to ensure and encourage greater social, emotional, spiritual and
educational support for court chaplains given that they are not in commonly accepted forms of
parish ministry and particularly given that court chaplaincy is, relatively speaking, a new ministry.
(2) Chaplaincy departments also need to encourage greater community and denominational/church
appreciation for chaplaincy work that provides a source of positive feedback for court chaplains; (3)
That chaplaincy departments maintain regular communication between the religious hierarchy and
with their chaplains in the field, so as to enhance teamwork and appreciation for each others roles and
responsibilities; (4) that chaplaincy departments encourage recruitment and training specifically for
court chaplaincy ministries and lastly that the chaplaincy departments continue the process of research
by conducting quantitative and qualitative assessments to further develop and substantiate the
relevance and work of court chaplains.

Nevertheless, this study does flag some important issues effecting chaplaincy services
within the judicial courts that require the implementation of practical strategies and further
evaluation.
Potentially, numerous recommendations could be determined from the issues and
suggestions indicated by court chaplains (refer Table 5). It can be argued that, given
appropriate support from ecclesiastical and chaplaincy organizations, plus with the assistance of the legal fraternity and government authorities, the role and work of court
chaplains could be instrumental in providing a positive service within court housesnot
only for the benefit of clients of the court but also for the judicial system itself and,
fundamentally, the community.
Acknowledgments It is important to acknowledge the Salvation Army Chaplains who participated in this
research. Their willingness to share their time, their experience and their knowledge is gratefully appreciated. Specific appreciation must also be given to Major Geanette Seymour, Major Christine Broadbere

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(Rtd) and Ms. Bronywn Apolony for their administrative assistance plus Spiritual Care Australia for their
encouragement of chaplaincy research.

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