In an attempt to keep pace with and inform on the current developments between religion and corrections, the academic community compiled a collection of articles representing a growing body of research on the topics of religion and spirituality and their interaction with correctional systems in the United States. These 14 articles are organized around 4 different but interconnected levels of questioning. The first level seeks to understand or develop ideas about the current nature of the relationship between religion, the community, and rehabilitation. The second level examines the variety of possible ways of understanding this phenomenon and which are true and accurate. The third level concerns the ethical or moral nature of the relationship between religion and corrections. And, the fourth and final level goes beyond the moral realm and straight into the religious realm by examining whether the relationship is a loving one and whether there is anything truly religious about the relationship between religion and corrections. The first five articles present a great deal on the nature of the relationship between religion and corrections today. The opening articles suggest that given their understanding of the nature of the relationship, religion should have a positive influence on offender rehabilitation. The next three articles address the question of whether or not this is true. The last article in this set assesses whether religious affiliation prevents delinquency through the investigation of denominational differences in self-reported criminal behavior in a sample of North American college students. The last five articles in the collection relate to more ethical questions, as well as questions of compassion or love. The last three articles in this final set make a strong case for the central and vital role of community and by implication love in the process of rehabilitation. Without having the building of community as an essential part of the criminal justice process, love cannot exist within that process and rehabilitation cannot take place. This collection helps reframe the current public debate from whether there is a positive role for faith-based programs in the justice system to a debate about how to foster and ensure the authenticity of that role. References