A Mixed Method Evaluation of the Role of Religion in Desistance and Reentry

Abstract

Literature holds that religious engagement can help prisoners cope with prison life and suggests it may affect the likelihood of recidivism. But despite agreement that religion supports identity transformation and generates social control, few studies have examined the utility of these mechanisms during both prison and reentry. The relationship between religion and desistance may be complicated by structural barriers to reentry and high rates of substance use among incarcerated populations. We address this gap using a longitudinal mixed methods design based on data collected from men in a Therapeutic Community in a Pennsylvania prison (N = 174 for quantitative analyses, N = 51 for qualitative). We use several methods to (1) compare the prevalence of psychological versus sociological mechanisms of religion in prison, (2) assess variation in recidivism outcomes by trajectory of religious engagement, and (3) explore the utility of religion in overcoming structural barriers to successful reentry.

Keywords:

• Prisoner reentry
• religion
• substance use
• structural barriers

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Derek Kreager, Kyle Thomas, the editor, and three anonymous reviewers for detailed feedback on previous drafts.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 For example, a respondent who selected “Never” for their pre-prison activity, “Occasionally” in their baseline CAPI current activity, and “Regularly” in their second CAPI interview is coded as increasing religious activity.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health [1R21-AA023210-01A1]; National Institute of Justice [2019-R2-CX-0010], and a seed grant from the Pennsylvania State University Criminal Justice Research Center.

Notes on contributors

Iman Said

Iman Said is a PhD candidate in criminology at the Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests include religion, prisoner reentry, race, and perceptions of the criminal justice system. Her recent work on these topics has appeared in Race and Justice and Punishment & Society.

Kimberly M. Davidson

Kimberly M. Davidson is a PhD candidate in criminology at the Pennsylvania State University and a National Institute of Justice Graduate Research Fellow. Her research interests include corrections, treatment and programming, community reentry, and substance use.