Why I Serve as a Hindu Chaplain in Jails and Prisons
Hindus should consider volunteering in jails to help inmates. It is very easy to be a volunteer jail chaplain and is a very rewarding and fulfilling experience. If you are in the USA on a work visa, you are still qualified.
I have been such a volunteer for two San Francisco Bay Area jail systems for the past five years. One time, an inmate needed company to chant Hanuman Chalisa, and another time a non-Hindu inmate wished to learn more about Gita. As expected, inmates go through severe depression because of their long detention, and it is good to listen to them and to uplift them. You can also start routine yoga, chanting, or meditation classes in jails.
Hindu inmates are in a very vulnerable stage of their life and can be a victim of proselytism. There is a clear need for Hindus to fill the void and provide spiritual Dharmic support.
Currently, if a Hindu inmate is seeking religious/spiritual guidance, they are offered available Christian or Muslim chaplains and books if they do so desire. I found that the jails' religious libraries are filled with texts of various faiths including the Bible and Koran, but are lacking Hinduism's Holy Gita and other Dharmic scriptures on their shelves. Hindu inmates are in a very vulnerable stage of their life and can be a victim of proselytism. There is a clear need for Hindus to fill the void and provide spiritual Dharmic support to Hindus and non-Hindu inmates.
Contact the chaplaincy department in your local jail, prison, and Juvenile Detention centers by searching on Google. The time commitment is minimal, 1-10 visits/year. Volunteer jail chaplaincy is a great seva to members of our society in need that should not be forgotten. If you need additional information, please reach out to HSCI.
Dilip Amin, Ph.D
Dilip Amin is the founder of interfaithshaadi.org and HinduSpeakers.org. He is also the Director of the Peninsula Multifaith Coalition of the San Francisco Bay area and on the Advisory Committee at the Hindu American Foundation. Dr. Amin is a jail chaplain and a columnist at Patheos. He has written several books on his experiences dealing with people in interfaith marriages.