FEATURE: Religion helps inmates confront crimes as Japan prison adapts

CHIBA, Japan - 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.