CHAPLAINCY AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE: SPIRITUAL INTERVENTION AS A LEGAL INSTRUMENT FOR REINTEGRATION

Abstract

This scientific article investigates the profound intersection between the practice of prison chaplaincy and the precepts of restorative justice, positioning spiritual assistance as a fundamental right and a strategic legal instrument for resocialization in Brazil. The research is based on the premise that the current Brazilian punitive system, marked by overcrowding and high criminal recidivism, demands alternatives that prioritize the dignity of the human person and the reconstruction of social bonds broken by crime. Through a qualitative methodology of a bibliographic and documentary nature, the study analyzes how the emotional and religious support offered by the chaplaincy can be integrated into the public policies of criminal execution. It is concluded that the institutional recognition of chaplaincy, supported by the Federal Constitution and the Criminal Execution Law, is a crucial step to humanize the prison system and effectively reduce recidivism rates in the national legal order.