Religion, Crime, and Criminal Justice

Abstract

and KeywordsReligion and crime are independent subjects that continue to receive significant attention in most societies. However, we do not have an extensive or well-developed research literature examining the direct and indirect ways in which these two topics relate to each other. This curious oversight is unfortunate, because upon close examination of the extant literature, we find that the relationship between religion and crime is quite robust, consistently inverse, and carries with it relevant implications for theory and practice. Additionally, the relationship between religion and crime offers important insights for sacred-secular approaches to crime prevention strategies and policy formation that ultimately improves the overall effectiveness of the criminal justice system.

The Effect of Muslim Religiosity on Youth Delinquency

“…Youth exposure to religious and spiritual activities, combined with other environmental factors, may play an important role in protecting young people from delinquency, substance use, and violence (Unlu & Sahin, 2015). Moreover, Johnson and Schroeder (2014) claimed that religiosity strengthens the resilience of disadvantaged communities. Put differently, the role of religion and religious institutions is critical in communities where crime and delinquency are prevalent.…”

“…It is possible that religious involvement may provide networks of support that help adolescents internalize values, emphasizing concern for others' welfare. During the socializing process, adolescents may acquire positive attributes that give a greater sense of empathy toward others (Johnson & Schroeder, 2014). Internalization of such values may inhibit young people from committing crimes that harm others (Finke & Adamczyk, 2008;Koster et al, 2009).…”

Prevalence and Correlates of Criminal Behavior Among the Non-institutionalized Elderly: Results From the National Survey on Drug Use and Health

“…Furthermore, we found that religiosity and law-breaking were negatively correlated among the elderly patients, which is consistent with the previous literature. 38…”

Territorial implications of criminality and religiosity in Caracas’s barrios

“…The link between criminal gangs and religiosity has been largely studied primarily from criminology and social perspectives using experimental methods, case reports, or descriptive analysis (Johnson and Jang 2011;Johnson and Schroeder 2014;Heaton 2006;Johnson 2014). Most of these investigations indicated the inverse relationship between increasing crime and greater religiosity.…”