The BCV has been running a prison chaplaincy programme since 2002. In that year the council was approached by CORE, the public correctional organisation, to initiate this service.

Prisoners from the Buddhist faith constitute only a small percentage of the total prison population, less than 5%, or in numerical terms a little over 200 prisoners. The coordinator for the chaplaincy programme is Venerable Bom Hyon Sunim.

There are volunteer chaplains from several different Buddhist communities and traditions visiting prisoners on a regular and 'as-needs' basis.