Advancing Corrections Journal - Edition #14 - What Else Works ... Volume 2 (ACJ14-A002)

Article 2: Religion and Rehabilitation in Colombian Prisons: New Insights for Desistance (ACJ14-A002)

Abstract

We examined how religion contributed to offender rehabilitation based on identity theories of desistance and the “Good Lives Model,” conducting a quasi-experiment assessing a faith-based program, “The Prisoner’s Journey” (TPJ). Pretest and posttest surveys were administered to 255 (97 in experimental group and 158 control group) male prisoners in Colombia. Results showed that participation in TPJ increased religiosity, which fostered motivation for identity change, the perception of meaning in life, and the virtues of forgiveness, empathy, gratitude, and self-control. We also found that increased virtues (forgiveness, empathy, and self-control) decreased the risk of aggression toward another inmate.

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Authors

Sung Joon Jang

Research Professor of Criminology, Co-Director of Program on Prosocial Behavior, Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University, United States

Sung Joon Jang is Research Professor of Criminology and Co-director of Program on Prosocial Behavior at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. His research focuses on the effects of strain and religion on criminal offending and desistance and has appeared in various journals of criminology and criminal justice. Jang is currently conducting a series of studies on the rehabilitative effects of religion and faith-based programs on prisoners in Colombia and South Africa as well as in the United States.

Byron R. Johnson

Professor, Founding Director, Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion, United States

Byron R. Johnson is Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences and Founding Director of Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion. He is recognized as a leading authority on the scientific study of religion, the efficacy of faith-based organizations, and criminal justice. He is currently the project director for the Global Flourishing Study, a longitudinal study of approximately 240,000 people from 22 geographically and culturally diverse countries, with at least five waves of annual data collection. Matthew Lee Anderson is an Assistant Research Professor of Ethics and Theology at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. His research is primarily focuses on reproductive ethics, though he also does work on the ethics of incarceration. He is currently working on a project on the effects of incarceration on family members of offenders, and the state’s duties to resist or mitigate the spread of secondary stigmas.

Advancing Corrections Journal - Edition #14 - What Else Works ... Volume 2 (ACJ14-A002)

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