Examining the relationship between religiosity and self-control as predictors of prison deviance

Inmates' Adaptation to Prison: Investigating the Mediating Role of Resilience in the Relationship between Religiosity and Prison Adjustment

Incarceration is one of the most stressful life experiences with negative impacts on the health and wellbeing of the prisoners. Sufficient studies exist on the association between religiosity and adjustment to prison (ATP) but no studies have investigated the mediating variables explaining this link. This study examined the mediating role of resilience on the relationship between religiosity and ATP. Participants 513 inmates (males = 410, females = 103; mean age = 30.86, SD = 7.71 years) drawn from Enugu and Nsukka custodial centres in the South East Nigeria. They responded to Prison Adjustment Questionnaire, Religious Orientation Test and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale in addition to supplying other relevant information. Hayes PROCESS macro for SPSS which uses a regression-based, path-analytical framework, was used in the data analysis. The results showed a significant indirect effect of resilience on the association between religiosity and ATP (β = .45, p < .001, 95% CI [0.27, 0.62]). This result revealed that resilience mediated the relationship between religiosity and ATP, indicating that individuals who are religious may possess higher resilience, leading to improved ATP. In conclusion, the study recommends incorporating comprehensive mental health services with a focus on resilience-building strategies in prison policies. Encouraging detainees' religious beliefs and activities is suggested, along with promoting psychological therapies to enhance resilience and improve adjustment to prison life.

Religion and Misconduct Among Prison Inmates in South Korea

Although faith-based programs are present in most prisons for offender rehabilitation, the effect of religion on prison inmates remains an understudied topic. In addition, existing research shows mixed results about the religious effect. The present study intends to not only advance the understanding of inmate's prison misconduct but also examine whether religion is likely to contribute to reducing the risk of misconduct using a non-Western sample of inmates. To assess the relationship between inmates' religion and prison misconduct, we applied negative binomial regression to analyze survey data from 986 Korean adult male inmates. Results showed that inmates who had a religious affiliation with Catholicism or Buddhism were less likely to report prison misconduct than those who had no religion. In addition, the inverse relationship was observed whether inmates had participated in religion before incarceration or came to participate in religion while incarcerated, depending on religious denomination.

Religion and Rehabilitation as Moral Reform: Conceptualization and Preliminary Evidence

We examine how religion contributes to rehabilitation, which we conceptualize as moral reform and operationalize in terms of self-identity, existential belief, and character. We hypothesize that religion contributes to identity transformation, a sense of meaning and purpose in life, and virtue development. We also hypothesize that faith-based rehabilitation reduces negative emotions and the risk of interpersonal aggression. We conducted a quasi-experiment on a faith-based program in a state jail and a maximum-security prison in Texas, using a convenience sample of male inmates. To test our hypotheses, we compare inmates who graduated the program with those who did not and applied manifest-variable structural equation modeling to analyze data from pretest and posttest surveys. Program participation was linked to an increase in religiosity, which contributed to identity transformation (cognitive and emotional transformations and crystallization of discontent), the perceived presence of meaning and purpose in life, and virtues (including self-control, compassion, and forgiveness). Faith-based rehabilitation in turn reduced state depression and anxiety and the probability of engaging in aggression toward another inmate. This study provides preliminary evidence of religion's rehabilitative effect on offenders; findings which hold promise for prison administrators looking for creative ways to support evidence-based and cost-effective approaches to rehabilitation within the correctional system.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12103-022-09707-3.

Evangelical Belief and Nonviolent Behavior in Chilean Inmates

This study examines whether religious beliefs motivate nonviolent behavior and lower rates of recidivism among Chilean inmates. We collected data through in-depth interviews with 174 inmates using open and close-ended questions. The research used a proportional random sample to select participants, principal component analysis to identify similarities and differences between groups, and content analysis to examine answers to the open-ended interview questions. Its findings indicate that evangelical inmates in Chilean prisons are less violent, more likely to follow internal jail regulations, and more cooperative with professionals and officials. This study contributes to the literature because there was no previous evidence in Chile that religious association, religious conviction, or a desire to change criminal behavior is instrumental to achieving better security during inmates’ stays in prison. The results also demonstrate that the presence of a peer group, with its emotional support and provision of a daily routine, is fundamental if inmates are to successfully handle their anxiety and be less violent.

Using Structural Equations to Model the Relationships between Procedural Justice, Risky Lifestyles, and Violent Inmate Misconduct

Prior research has consistently shown that perceptions of procedural justice promote individuals' compliance with the law. Several studies have also identified mechanisms that explain the association between perceptions of procedural justice and compliance (e.g., social identity). However, the potential role of risky behaviors as a mediator of the association between procedural justice and compliance remains unexplored. This study examined whether risky behaviors can mediate the relationship between procedural justice and violent inmate misconduct. Data for this study were derived from a sample of 986 incarcerated felons in South Korea. The present study employed structural equation modeling to test how risky lifestyles mediate the association between procedural justice and violent misconduct. The results showed that procedural justice reduced violent inmate misconduct. Additionally, the mediation hypothesis received partial support: the direct effect of procedural justice on violent misconduct was partially mediated by involvement in risky activities. Taken together, the results highlight the importance of the interrelationship between procedural justice, risky lifestyles, and violent misconduct in a prison setting.

Assessing the Relationship Between Religiosity and Recidivism Among Adult Probationers in Pakistan

Although empirical evidence supports a relationship between religiosity and criminal behavior, debate continues about the theoretical mechanisms by which they are related. Moreover, the topic has been largely ignored by practicing clinicians and correctional workers. The Muslim Religiosity-Personality Inventory: Abridged was administered to low-risk Pakistani probationers and factor analyzed, after which probationers' recidivism was monitored. Five oblique factors were obtained, three of which were correlated with recidivism (Religious Practice, Religious-Moral Values, and Fundamental Religious Beliefs), as was the full scale, while two were not (Importance of Religion and Rejection of Nonbeliever). In a logistic regression, Religious-Moral Values and Religious Practices contributed to the prediction of probationer recidivism. However, when demographic characteristics were introduced, education and marital status replaced Religious Practices. This study supports the religiosity-crime link in a non-Western, Muslim culture. Implications for assessing religiosity and for practitioners in the justice system are discussed.

Religiously Motivated Desistance: An Exploratory Study

This article examines the life-history narratives of 25 successful ex-offenders professing Christianity as the source of their desistance. Unstructured in-depth life-history interviews from adult male desisters affirm use of a "feared self" and "cognitive shifts" regarding perceptions of illegal behavior. "Condemnation scripts" and "redemption narratives," however, differ radically from those uncovered in previous research. Stories of behavior change and identity transformation achieved through private religious practice and energetic church membership dominate the narratives. Findings suggest there are diverse phenomenologies of desistance and that by more narrowly tailoring research to explore subjectivities in the desistance process, important discrepancies in perceptions of agency and structure are revealed. Three prominent desistance paradigms--Making Good, Cognitive Transformation, and Identity Theory--are used to examine the narratives.

The brief self-control scale predicts jail inmates' recidivism, substance dependence, and post-release adjustment

Previous research finds that self-control is positively associated with adaptive and negatively associated with maladaptive behavior. However, most previous studies use cross-sectional designs, low-risk samples, and limited assessments of self-control. This study of 553 jail inmates examined the relationship of a valid measure of self-control (Brief Self-Control Scale) completed on incarceration with behavior before, during, and 1 year after incarceration. After controlling for positive impression management (PIM), self-control was negatively related to substance misuse, suicidality, risky sex, and criminal history prior to incarceration and post-release illegal substance misuse, recidivism, and positive adjustment. Lower self-control predicted increases in substance dependence at post-release compared with pre-incarceration. Self-control was not related to misbehavior during incarceration, nor alcohol use or HIV-risk behavior 1 year post-release. Results were consistent as a function of age, race, and gender. This study supports self-control as an important risk and protective factor in a sample of criminal offenders.