Contra Costa County: Saint Mary’s Professor Awarded $1M Grant To Study Religious Freedom In Prisons

Saint Mary’s College professor Barbara McGraw was awarded a $1 million grant for a research project aimed at advocating for religious liberty in U.S. prisons. The project, titled “Prison Religion: Advancing Religious Liberty in Correctional Institutions as Exemplars of Pluralism and Institutional Change,” intends to generate scholarly insights and practical tools for correctional institutions, policymakers, and advocates for incarcerated individuals to use throughout the U.S. It will examine how to “navigate the complex legal and cultural challenges of accommodating diverse religions in prisons” and the impact of “fully embracing religious liberty on inmates’ well-being,” according to a press release Saint Mary’s shared.

McGraw organized a multidisciplinary team of four scholars and practitioners for the research project. The project is expected to begin on Sept. 1 and last three years. The grant comes from the John Templeton Foundation, which “supports interdisciplinary research and catalyzes conversations that inspire awe and wonder,” according to their website. The foundation holds a $3.4 billion endowment and distributes grants totaling nearly $140 million each year. McGraw currently works as the founding director of Saint Mary’s Center for Engaged Religious Pluralism and is a professor of Social Ethics, Law, and Public Life at the college. She has dedicated almost three decades to service, initially as a volunteer chaplain, and later as an advocate for religious freedom in prisons. “The stakes go beyond the prison walls … Addressing the intersection of religious liberty and prisons offers a vision for a more compassionate future grounded in respect for the diverse experiences that define our humanity,” McGraw said.