The Effect of Religion on Crime and Deviancy: Hellfire in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Since the early twentieth century there has been a desire to understand the effects of religion on crime and deviancy (Lombroso 1911; Kvaraceus 1944; Schur 1969; Bainbridge 1989); however, definitive evidence of an effect has not been forthcoming. The key question that remains for many scholars is ‘Do religious beliefs and behaviours prevent crime and/or deviancy?’ The presumption has always been that it does have a preventative effect, but the unequivocal proof and the reasons behind such ‘effects’ are elusive. Certainly, the common sense view is that ‘religion reduces the likelihood of crime’, and research in both Britain and the USA suggest that at least one-third of the citizens in these countries believe that religion provides a sociocultural and/or spiritual foundation for preventing criminal behaviour (Banks et al. 1975; Jensen 1981). However, it would be remiss not to consider that in the current climate with countless conflicts defined as ‘religiously motivated’, issues regarding both the sexual abuse of children by ‘people of faith’ and the increasing number of Islamophobic attacks in the UK, some may argue religion causes (rather than prevents) crime and deviance. This is addressed in a number of chapters throughout the book, as is the role of religion in identity formation.