Arrendale State Prison

About the Site

Lee Arrendale State Prison is the largest state women’s prison in Georgia and is located an hour north of Atlanta in the North Georgia mountains. Students will have the opportunity to provide pastoral care to incarcerated women, support chaplaincy programs, assist the chaplain with worship and preaching, and make pastoral rounds in the infirmary and lockdown areas.

The Chaplaincy Department at Lee Arrendale State Prison has a variety of programs. These include worship, religious education, music, dance ministry, pastoral therapy groups, ministry to inmates with mental health issues, postpartum issues, as well as inmates with chronic medical issues such as HIV, Hepatitis C and cancer, and substance abuse issues.

Demographics of female offenders in Georgia are as follows:

• 58% Caucasian
• 40% African American
• 2% Hispanic and/or Asian
• 80% or more have addiction and substance abuse issues
• 80% or more have physical, mental, sexual abuse issues
• 90% are mothers and/or grandmothers
• The age range is between 13–80
• The average age is between 25–35

Site Mission

To provide pastoral care and counseling, worship and ministry to a 1,100-bed correctional facility for female offenders. This also includes ministry to approximately 300 staff members and their families.

Faculty

Assistant Professor of Early Christianity and Anglican Studies Gabrielle Thomas will be the faculty co-leader of the spring integrative seminar for Arrendale State Prison students.

Teaching and Site Supervisor

The Rev. Chaplain Susan Bishop has been a correctional clinical chaplain with the Georgia Department of Corrections since 1984. She is a Candler graduate, has a master’s degree in music education from Georgia State University, and has been supervising Candler students since 1997. Susan is an ordained Southern Baptist clergywoman.

Con Ed I Student Requirements for Arrendale

Site work at Arrendale will be in person, as Department of Corrections policies and public health guidance permit. Students should plan for a full day, including transportation (provided) and an afternoon reflection group.

Students will work as chaplain interns, providing spiritual care for staff and incarcerated women. Chaplain interns will provide spiritual care to inmates individually and in small groups.

• Con Ed I at Arrendale also includes a fall semester on-site reflection group, led by Rev. Susan Bishop, and a spring semester integrative seminar.
• Students who enroll in Arrendale State Prison as their Con Ed I selection are strongly encouraged to also enroll in the Intro to Pastoral Care course in the fall or spring semester.

Additional Requirements & Accessibility

In addition to the criminal background check Candler requires of all admitted students, this site requires a criminal background check administered by the Georgia Department of Corrections. Depending on the results of the background check, fingerprinting may also be required. Students must submit an online volunteer application to the Georgia Department of Corrections and attend a mandatory four-hour volunteer training session. Information regarding this application process will be sent to enrolled students following registration for classes.