Exploring the Relationship Between Religiosity and Offending Intentions Among Various Sub-Samples of Incarcerated Individuals

Researchers suggest an inverse relationship between criminal behaviors and a number of social bonds, including religiosity, but few studies have examined religiosity’s impact among adults, especially those known to have committed serious crimes. Utilizing survey data from a large sample of men and w...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Cooper, Maisha N. (Author)
Contributors: Bouffard, Jeffrey A.
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2025
In: Crime & delinquency
Year: 2025, Volume: 71, Issue: 8, Pages: 2599-2625
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
race differences
Sex differences
Decision-making
Social bonds
Religiosity
Description
Summary:Researchers suggest an inverse relationship between criminal behaviors and a number of social bonds, including religiosity, but few studies have examined religiosity’s impact among adults, especially those known to have committed serious crimes. Utilizing survey data from a large sample of men and women incarcerated for felonies in a southwestern correctional system, we estimated a series of regressions examining the relationship between religiosity and intentions to drive drunk, controlling for a number of other social and self-control measures. We also explored possible race and sex differences in these relationships. Results support the negative relationship between religiosity and crime; and indicate that this significant relationship is similar among men and women, and also among White and African American individuals.
ISSN:1552-387X
DOI:10.1177/00111287231202981