Resources History Ásatrú in Prison | In-Reach | The Troth
Ásatrú in Prison | In-Reach | The Troth
Summary
There are significant barriers to practicing Ásatrú in prison, one of them is the prevalence of white nationalism. This both presents a problem for staff at the prisons and the inmates who are looking to avoid getting involved in a hate group.
Those who write and begin a dialog with inclusive Heathen organizations like The Troth, they are the ones who see themselves on a better path – and I heartily agree. It is those groups and people that make my job as a mail handler so satisfying. In their letters I can read what is happening in their lives and the progress they are making.
Practicing Ásatrú in Prison: Barriers and Solutions.
I’m Jo Hunding, the Director of In-Reach for The Troth. Here’s my background.
While I volunteer with the Prison In-Reach Program now, I’ve had a long career in the prison system, which gives me a unique perspective on the challenges Heathens face when incarcerated.
I was employed by the Georgia Department of Corrections for 24 years, 4 as an officer and the rest as a counselor, senior counselor, chief counselor and as the Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment (DWC&T). I served at 4 close security and one medium security facility.
As a counselor, I usually had a caseload of at least 120 inmates and when I was over the segregation/isolation unit, a caseload of over 300 hundred in a month. Yes, a lot of what we did as counselors was routine monthly interviews, but we were required to see each inmate at least once a month, some we saw more often. In the segregation/isolation unit I saw each inmate every day, hence the huge caseload.
Being the DWC&T, I supervised not only the counseling dept, but medical, library, mental health, volunteers, and the Chaplaincy department.
So, I have a pretty good insight as to the obstacles the inmate population faced from not only our Chaplains, but also from security staff.
Barriers to practicing Ásatrú in prison
The biggest obstacle to those who are interested and want to practice Heathenry/Ásatrú in an incarcerated setting, are those who profess to be Heathen/Odinist and are actually exclusive (Folkish) or espouse a white supremacist ideology.
Unfortunately, this is what the Prison Administration sees first – not the inclusive Heathenry where the men or women are trying to follow a spiritual path that helps them to find honor in their lives after there being so much negative trauma.
There are many barriers to practicing Heathenry in prison, just to start, we have barriers to wearing any kind of ritual dress.
Most facilities in most states do not allow the inmates to wear their hair long nor wear beards. The inmates must wear the uniform of that State (Georgia’s inmates wear white shirt and pants with a blue stripe down the front of the shirt and the stripe down both legs of the pants, on the outside – these make the men readily identifiable by the public.
The women wear a khaki shirt and pants with no striping. I bring this up because I have had letters asking if those following a Heathen path have any special clothing they are “required” to wear when having a ritual.
Another obstacle is getting inclusive Heathen teaching materials into the prison systems of different states.
In their personal property, they can not have any items that would pose a threat to the facility (i.e. a horn – possible weapon, runes – used to send gang messages). I do not even send in the trifold on runes in to a facility, because it has been sent back to me with that reasoning.
I can talk about the runes in my letters, just can not show pictures – yeah, I know its a pain, but facility policy trumps everything, because if we as an organization do not follow policy, we can be denied access.
How letters are sent in also is a challenge. In Pennsylvania, all inmate mail is sent to Florida to be copied then shipped back to the facility for distribution to the inmates. This is to try to assist in keeping contraband out of the facilities – drugs under the stamps or in the envelope glue. There is a restriction on many pages can be sent in also.
I have learned all this, because each state’s DOC posts how to send in mail to an inmate located on their websites (Yes, I have look up each one to make sure what the mailing restrictions are). It all depends on how progressive the DOC is or not.
But after a while, I am fairly conversant on what each state requires.
Don’t worry, I am writing a manual for any other mail handler volunteers we can get, as well as those who do want to become visiting volunteers. Please reach out and contact me if you’re interested in volunteering.
Celebrating Ásatrú Holidays in prison is hit or miss and religious awareness is mostly reserved for mainstream religions.
There are actually some facilities that do allow the men to meet and have study groups and to celebrate Yule. Not so many that will actually allow ritual.
The main complaint I hear is “those of the (….) religion get access to all kinds of study days, religious services and the Chaplain has a well stocked library for just certain religions.”
And it is true – a lot of Chaplains are also Reverends, priests, Brothers, Imams, Rabbis in various mainstream religions and are very uncomfortable dealing with those of pagan/heathen faiths. They are unfamiliar with the tenets of Wicca, Heathenry, Ásatrú and there are some that just do not want to learn or assist those who are not of one of the mainstream religions.
Now, how do we help those who like the idea of inclusive Heathenry?
Getting and keeping just one individual engaged with the policies of The Troth. We write them with an emphasis on the positive, inclusive ideals. Just one inmate in a facility can talk to his/her friends, who talk to other people. Word of mouth gets around in a facility quicker than one can say boo.
Those who want a meaningful relation with the Gods and Goddesses will find The Troth. We just have to be there to answer.
How do they find inclusive groups? Usually by coming to The Troth and the In-Reach program.
Those who have begun groups contact us for advice, answers, and just to write to a group that thinks as they do.
Those that espouse racism, folkism or white nationalism write us once, do not like the fact that we are inclusive and do allow any and all who feel the call to join The Troth – those I never hear from again, sadly.
Those who write and begin a dialog, they are the ones who see themselves on a better path – and I heartily agree. It is those groups and people that make my job as a mail handler so satisfying. In their letters I can read what is happening in their lives and the progress they are making.
For questions I get asked about Heathen issues and I don’t know the answer, I call those in The Troth leadership for guidance on where to look for the answers. In the prison facilities, I still have friends here in Ga, and for the other states, most of what I need is on their websites.
Open dialogue on inclusive Heathenry with key stakeholders is the way to overcoming the barriers to practicing Ásatrú in prison.
What would make a lasting impact toward making it easier to practice Heathenry in a prison setting is open dialogue with most if not all the Chaplains, but even better to the Administrative staff (Wardens, Superintendents, Deputy Wardens of Security and DW of Care and Treatment as well as the Security staff (Capt, Lt, Sgt)). Those are the ones who deal with inmates on a daily basis, and those are the ones who either make the policies or enforce the policies.
It’s these kinds of open, interfaith dialogues that The Troth can help facilitate. Whether we are going to an interfaith event or answering an emailed call for help from a Chaplain who just needs some advice for how to serve an inmate, the work we do here will be the sort that has the most impact to help better the circumstances of inmates who want to find solace, community and comfort in inclusive Heathenry.