The Certificate in Prison Studies can be earned within the residential M.Div., M.T.S, and Th.D programs and provides students with the opportunity to engage specifically with people in prison and the system that imprisons them in the context of theological education and formation for ministry.

Students in the certificate program take a course on restorative justice and an additional prison studies elective. They also participate in a Project TURN course taught on-site in a local prison and complete a field education placement in a prison setting, a local church doing prison ministry, or a non-profit organization that works with incarcerated persons. In addition, students join a designated prison-oriented spiritual formation group or they can petition to complete an approved research project.

Beyond the certificate program, the program in Prison Studies also brings speakers to the Divinity School to address issues related to justice and prison ministry within the larger community. Student groups focused on prison ministry and justice also host regular events, including panel discussions and screenings of documentaries on justice issues.

Louis Threatt
I have seen without a doubt that God is present in the prison, certainly as much as if not more so than in the church. This may surprise some, but whenever people are hurting, isolated, confused, broken, abandoned, and in need, we would be naïve to think God is not present there. Scripture tells us that these are the places where God seems to do his best work: with the unexpected, the unlikely, the unchosen or marginalized.
Rev. Dr. Louis Threatt

Rev. Dr. Threatt, a graduate of Duke Divinity School and of the Prison Studies Certificate program, currently serves as the senior chaplain at Orange Correctional Center and as the executive director of the Alamance Orange Prison Ministry. He also teaches and assists with the Prison Studies Certificate at Duke Divinity, helping students to think theologically about prison ministry and restorative justice.

Prison certificate

Project TURN

Transform, Unlock, ReNew

Project TURN classes at Duke Divinity School seek to enhance the theological education of both incarcerated people and full-time seminarians by creating an environment in which they can learn from and alongside one another. Students of each class include roughly 10 residents of the hosting prison and 10 seminary students enrolled at Duke Divinity School. Project TURN seeks to offer quality education in the fields of Christian theology, ethics, biblical studies, Christian history, pastoral care, and Christian discipleship to all interested students, regardless of life circumstance, by providing this education to incarcerated students free of charge with provisions for books and course materials. In addition to theological training, the program also offers incarcerated students an opportunity to enhance the written and oral communication skills necessary for a successful transition out of prison into the job market and future education. Finally, the program offers seminary professors an opportunity to teach and learn outside the traditional seminary setting, revitalizing professors’ commitment to their own vocation and expanding their research interests. Courses are currently being offered at North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh, N.C. and the Federal Correctional Institution II in Butner, N.C.

For incarcerated students, completion of eight TURN courses yields a “Certificate of Achievement in Theological Education” issued by Duke Divinity School.

For non-incarcerated students, participation in a TURN course is one of the requirements of the Certificate in Prison Studies.

The Power of Story

Kimberly Brown talks about the first Project TURN class, the power of story, and her current work with OnInmate.com.

44 Years: Ronnie Long’s Wrongful Conviction

Prison Studies Lecture Series

On Feb. 24, 2021, Duke Divinity co-hosted an online public conversation with Ronnie Long, who was unjustly imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. Now, 44 years later, Ronnie once again walks free. Hear from Ronnie and his pastor, Rev. Cari Wills, as we learn what life is like when the whole world seems to think you guilty.

Requirements for the Certificate in Prison Studies

Normal Requirements for M.Div. (Residential) Students

  • Completion of identified prison ministry course 
  • Participation in a Project TURN course taught on-site in a local prison. These classes are accredited by Duke Divinity School, primarily taught by Divinity School faculty, and can be found in the Divinity School course offerings.
  • Completion of one further course addressing relevant questions of justice, atonement, race, gender, conflict, ministry, etc., and approved by the director (courses designated as "Prison Studies Electives"). 
    • An appropriate directed study approved by the certificate director may be substituted for this requirement
  • Completion of a suitable field education placement where you are placed either within a prison setting, a local church doing prison ministry, or a non-profit working with incarcerated persons.
  • Participation in a designated prison-oriented spiritual formation group, or, on petition, completion of an approved research project.

M.T.S. Students

  • Completion of identified prison ministry course
  • Participation in a Project TURN course taught on-site in a local prison
  • Completion of one additional course approved by the director that addresses questions relevant to prison studies (for example, treating approaches to justice, atonement, race, gender, conflict, or contextual ministry). An appropriate directed study approved by the certificate director may be substituted for this requirement
  • Completion of an MTS thesis that focuses on some aspect of prison studies that (1) takes the voices of incarcerated people (past or present) seriously and (2) views the prison as a site of significant learning and investigation.

Th.D. Students

Requirements for Th.D. students are negotiated with the certificate director.

Find detailed information about requirements and courses for current students (NetID required) »

For more information contact:
Douglas Campbell
Professor of New Testament and Director of Prison Studies
dcampbell@div.duke.edu
(919) 660-3465

Requirements for the Certificate of Achievement in Theological Education

The Certificate of Achievement in Theological Education is offered to incarcerated people who complete eight Project TURN Duke Divinity courses offered on-site at local prisons. The certificate is currently available at North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh, N.C. and the Federal Correctional Institution II in Butner, N.C. One course per semester is offered at each of these prisons. The certificate takes a minimum of four years to earn.

Certificates are awarded at Duke Divinity School’s Closing Convocation for those people able to attend and can be alternately awarded at the local prisons for those who are not permitted to attend off-site functions.

Prison Studies Resources

Learn more about carceral studies, ministry in prison, and Project TURN.

MDPI Special Issue "Carceral Intersections: Christianity and the Crisis of Mass Incarceration"

With rising public focus on the crisis of mass incarceration in the United States, scholars have increasingly produced articles and monographs addressing carceral issues from a wide variety of fields. This Special Issue, “Carceral Intersections: Christianity and the Crisis of Mass Incarceration,” co-edited by Certificate Director Douglas Campbell and Program Assistant Sarah Jobe, addresses the relationship between various constructions of Christianity and the crisis of mass incarceration.
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about MDPI Special Issue "Carceral Intersections: Christianity and the Crisis of Mass Incarceration"

Radio Program on Project TURN

This episode of Frank Stasio’s "The State of Things" highlights a project created entirely by graduates of the Duke TURN classes. Every person on the show – both formerly incarcerated and not – took Duke classes at either North Carolina Correctional Institutions for Women or Central Prison.
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Fall 2016 DIVINITY Magazine

The Fall 2016 issue of DIVINITY features several articles about prison studies, including an article by Rev. Louis Threatt, a program graduate who has gone on to work for both the Certificate in Prison Studies and as a chaplain for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, a story by Rev. Kaye Ward, one of our formerly incarcerated students who has gone on to be ordained in the Free Will Baptist Church after her release from prison, and a feature on Barbara Stager, who has received her Certificate of Achievement in Theological Education and continues to be a vital part of the program behind bars as she serves a life sentence.
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about Fall 2016 DIVINITY Magazine

The Theology Behind Project TURN

An article addressing the theology behind Project TURN courses, as articulated by founding Director Rev. Sarah Jobe, who continues to work with the program.
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about The Theology Behind Project TURN