Humanist Chaplains in NSW Prisons?

Apr 2

True compassion and human connection are essential for everyone, particularly for those navigating the difficult and often isolating experience of incarceration. Currently in New South Wales, however, the prison system restricts chaplaincy to those endorsed by religious organisations. This policy effectively discriminates against the large proportion of Australians who identify as non-religious, leaving many inmates without the secular pastoral care they might urgently need. For someone who has experienced religious trauma in the past, a faith-based approach might inadvertently cause distress rather than provide comfort. An inmate at Silverwater Women's Correctional Centre poignantly expressed this, noting that while her religious chaplain was kind, responding to profound personal struggles with prayers and 'Hail Marys' simply did not offer the type of support she required in her darkest moments.

At Humanists Australia, we believe in resolving issues through open conversation, empathy, and respect for our common humanity. We recently joined forces with our friends at the Rationalist Society of Australia, Sydney Atheists, and Humanists NSW to write directly to Corrective Services NSW. We are not seeking to diminish the options for religious inmates; we simply ask the department to broaden its endorsement framework so that humanist chaplains can offer the same non-judgmental, compassionate care to those who request it. By embracing a truly inclusive approach to spiritual and pastoral care, the NSW government can better uphold the fundamental human rights of all inmates, ensuring everyone receives support that genuinely resonates with their own deeply held values.

Chaplaincy Coordinator
Corrective Services NSW
NSW Department of Communities and Justice

Humanist Chaplains in NSW Prisons and other agencies

To the Chaplaincy Coordinator

A Humanists Australia member has been told that in order to work as a Humanist Chaplain in Corrective Services NSW, they would have to be endorsed by the Civil Chaplaincy Advisory Committee (CCAC) via a recognised member organisation. We understand this is also a requirement for other NSW Government agencies.

Humanism is a non-religious belief system. Humanist chaplains are the equivalent of clergy; they have been working to support the wellbeing of non-religious people in Australian universities, hospitals and the military for many years.

We have investigated whether Humanists Australia could become a member organisation of CCAC. Unfortunately the CCAC constitution states:

An organisation, whether incorporated or not, is eligible to be a member of the association if … the organisation represents a religious faith….

This requirement to be endorsed by the CCAC therefore effectively discriminates against non-religious chaplains. With 38.9% of the Australian population identifying as non-religious according to the 2021 census, that leaves a large proportion of the population without representation in the chaplaincy. In particular, the religious-based model fails to meet the needs of ex-religious people, some of whom may have experienced trauma in high-demand groups and, as a result, view religious chaplaincy as a barrier to care.

Section 79(x2) of the Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Act 1999 (NSW) speaks of authorising "ministers of religion and other spiritual advisors for correctional centres" in NSW. The current system is much narrower than what the legislation appears to contemplate. This means the current system of allowing only religious chaplains may be vulnerable to legal challenge in the NSW courts.

We also note that the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) provide in Rule 2 that there shall be no discrimination on the basis of religion in prisons. The current system does not comply with this rule.

We quote an inmate at Silverwater Women's Correctional Centre (who receives visits from a friend that is also a Humanists Australia member) “I’m thinking of stopping the visits from the prison chaplain. She is a lovely lady, but her response to me when I share very difficult things is to pray and say some Hail Mary’s. That might be useful for some people but that is not what I need.”

We are writing to you to request that the NSW Department of Communities and Justice and/or NSW Government approve other means for endorsement of chaplains, for example directly through Humanists Australia or via Spiritual Care Australia (an organisation that accredits both religious and non-religious chaplains).

We look forward to hearing from you about steps that the NSW Department of Communities and Justice will take to address the current discriminatory endorsement mechanism.

Yours sincerely