In this study, religiosity in prison is investigated. What opportunities are there for those detained to practice their religion and how did their religiosity change after they were detained? Six interviews were conducted to gain a better perspective of religiosity in prison. The focus is on Correctional Institution in Kalmar, where surveys have been conducted over a longer period but also the monastery at the Correctional facility in Kumla is discussed. Most interviews were conducted in the prison of Kalmar, in a room where religious conversations are conducted. The inmates’ and the prison guard´s name have been changed to protect their identity. A common thread throughout the interviews is that the religious group often talks about much more than religion. Detainees also talk about their involvement in these talks as an opportunity of breaking the everyday routines that occur in prisons. This strengthens Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann´s theory that religion is a group phenomenon created, among other things, to feel a social connectedness.

Syftet med studien har varit att undersöka hur deltagandeti klosterverksamheten eller 12-stegsprogrammet inom Kriminalvården har påverkat tidigare intagna på deras väg mot ett laglydigt liv. Studien bygger på sex kvalitativa intervjuer. Fyra livshistorieintervjuer med tidigare intagna och två semistrukturerade med kriminalvårdare. Resultatet visade att deltagandet i något av behandlingsprogrammen har haft betydelse för deltagarna och att det har gett dem verktyg för att arbeta med sig själva. För att behandlingsprogrammen ska vara effektiva menade dock samtliga intervjudeltagare att det krävs en vilja hos individen till att förändras. Vidare visade studiens resultat att även andlighet har en central roll i behandlingen, men att det är något individuellt. / The purpose of this study has been to examine if participation in the monastery-program or the 12 step program within the Swedish Prison and probation service has had an impact on former inmates in their road to a non-criminal life. The study is based on six qualitative interviews. Four life-course interviews with previous inmates and two semi-structured interviews with two caretakers active within the Swedish Prison and probation service. The result showed that participating in one of the treatment programs has had a significant meaning for the participants and it gave them tools to work with themselves. For the programs to be effective, however, all interviewed participants believed that the individuals will to change was crucial. Furthermore the results of this study showed that spirituality also has a central role in the treatment but the interpretation of it is individual.