Those who find God while in prison just as likely to break law again as non-religious inmates

By Georgia Lambert

Inmates who turn to God to cope with prison life are just as likely to re-offend as those with no religion, a new study reveals.

And one theory for the result is that lags use religion to "fill time" whilst they're inside.

It is known that organized religion can help prisoners to cope with everyday life behind bars but men with stable beliefs did not have better outcomes than men who weren't religious.

Speaking about the study, Iman Said, a doctoral candidate in sociology and criminology at Pennsylvania State University, said: “Numerous barriers, including finding and maintaining jobs, securing housing, renewing ties with family and others, prevent religion from effectively supporting the reentry process for many incarcerated men, which can encourage relapse."

Iman, who led the study, added: “Our findings call into question prison-based religious programs as the sole way to reduce recidivism and boost post-release success and suggest a lack of a relationship between religious beliefs and recidivism.”

The previous pool of research in this area has focused on the thought that religion could be a possible trigger for inmates reinventing themselves, by helping them come to terms with their criminal pasts and to move towards becoming better people.

Other studies have looked at religion as a source of social control.

This research has suggested that being a part of a religious group or having religious friends can influence choices and lessen the likelihood of reoffending.

Scholars have now merged this thinking and to find out the influence that religion has on reoffending, researchers from Penn State and Florida State University (FSU) conducted a study in a Pennsylvania prison.

The study used data from 174 men who attended a substance-use disorder program in the prison, as well as information collected from in-prison and post-prison life.

The religiosity of the men was measured through interviews that included questions about how many times they participated in religious activities before, during, and after prison.

The men had regular access to faith-based services and a full-time chaplain.

The study found that incarcerated people with stable or increasing religious beliefs used religion to reconcile their past mistakes and create an aspirational future self, which is consistent with past findings.

Many of the interviewees told the researchers that they practiced religion independently from organized programs, with some spending time reading the Bible or engaging in self-reflection.

However, people with decreasing religious beliefs had a more despairing attitude towards their imprisonment and did not trust their peers.

They tended not to see religion as a personal experience, but as something that could be used to "fill time".

In light of this finding, the authors suggested that the role that religion plays in prison may depend on each individual's openness to create positive change.

When it came to analyzing the outcomes after a prisoner had been released, the researchers found that the potential for religion to spur identity change lies in its use as a signal to family members that the person is ready to move on.

Although it could act as a driver that motivates the individual to stick to his goals, the study confirmed that over time, religion becomes an insufficient influence.

Despite the apparent importance of faith when motivating imprisoned people to "transform" their identity to lead a more social life, religion was superfluous when overcoming barriers to successful reentry and recovery.

Contrary to expectations, the men who reported having stable or increasing religious beliefs did not show better reentry outcomes than individuals who reported decreasing religious beliefs.

Many men said that they didn't have time to attend religious services or take part in self-reflection, and many returned to substance use.

Although the data analyses showed that increased or stable religiousness could reduce the likelihood of people reoffending, they did not reach statistical significance in this study.

Jim Davidson, an assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at FSU, coauthored the study and said: “The study’s findings have implications for prison-based programming.

“Religious programs are popular with the public and with policymakers, many of whom believe that religion can change the disposition of incarcerated people, resulting in a prosocial person who will successfully reenter society.

"But these programs may not improve individuals’ reentry into the community.”

Although the study did not address the differences between religiosity and spirituality and was only carried out the study in one institution, the research, has the potential to leave a mark on the US prison system.

The study was published in Justice Quarterly - a publication of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.