Spirituality within the Prison Walls – The Impact of a 30-days Retreat at the Prison in Kumla

Abstract: The aim of this qualitative master thesis was to explore how a 30-days spiritual retreat at the prison in Kumla has affected male prisoners coping strategies in everyday life. Non-probability samples of five prisoners were interviewed and they were contacted through snowball sampling. Three of the participants were still serving their sentence in prison at the time of the interview, and two were released. The result showed a positive change within the areas of handling negative emotions, finding a meaning with incarceration, reconciliation with themselves, less infractions and a reevaluation of their lives. The result showed a positive change in all of the prisoner’s lives in various areas. A majority have started to define themselves as spiritual and believing in a God or "a creating power" after attending the retreat. The negative influence of the spiritual retreat could be a new spiritual concept taking over their previous criminal lifestyle. There could also be seen a tendancy towards religious ruminations.