FEATURE: Religion helps inmates confront crimes as Japan prison adapts

The faint smell of incense hung in the air as more than 200 inmates sat silently in a prison gymnasium, hands clasped in prayer while a Buddhist priest chanted for prisoners, crime victims and the dead.The July 31 service at Chiba Prison, east of Tokyo, was held for "Urabone," a Buddhist observance honoring ancestors and the deceased. For some of the long-term inmates attending it, religion offers a way to confront their crimes and find support in daily life.Chiba Prison, in Chiba city's Wakaba Ward, houses inmates serving sentences of 10 years or more. More than 70 percent are imprisoned f…READ FULL ARTICLE