SPIRITUAL SUPPORT BEHIND BARS: EXAMINING THE ROLE OF FAITH IN INMATE MENTAL HEALTH IN ZIMBABWE

Abstract

This study investigates the role of spirituality and religious attendance in promoting mental health and psychosocial well-being among inmates at Harare Central Prison, Zimbabwe. Drawing on the initiatives of Compassion Ministries—an outreach arm of Celebration Church Ministries—the research seeks to understand how faith-based interventions contribute to psychological resilience and emotional support for incarcerated individuals. The study is situated within a context of socio-economic instability and chronic hardship, which has led to widespread mental distress not only among prisoners but also within the general Zimbabwean population. Despite the growing reliance on religion as a coping mechanism in Zimbabwe, limited empirical research exists on the link between spirituality and inmate mental health, particularly in low-income settings.
Using qualitative inquiry, the study explores how religious programs provide inmates with emotional support, a sense of hope, identity reconstruction, and spiritual meaning in an environment marked by deprivation and uncertainty. Findings suggest that regular engagement in spiritual practices and religious services fosters positive psychosocial outcomes, such as reduced anxiety, improved emotional regulation, and increased social connectedness among inmates. These outcomes are critical, given the scarcity of formal mental health resources in Zimbabwean correctional facilities. The research highlights the importance of incorporating culturally relevant, faith-based psychosocial support within prison rehabilitation frameworks. It also calls for more localized research that addresses mental health interventions in under-resourced settings, moving beyond dominant perspectives rooted in Western contexts.