Date of Award
Spring 2020
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
Criminal Justice, Forensic Science, and Security
Committee Chair
Dr. Robert A. Thompson
Committee Chair School
Criminal Justice, Forensic Science, and Security
Committee Member 2
Dr. Byron R. Johnson
Committee Member 3
Dr. William W. Johnson
Committee Member 3 School
Criminal Justice, Forensic Science, and Security
Abstract
This research project conducted and then analyzed qualitative interviews from former and current addicts and criminal offenders who are voluntarily participating in the Christian faith at the same non-traditional, Protestant church. An abridged case study of this church is also provided for background and context. Life-course theory and grounded theory are utilized.
Both the offenders and this church were chosen in an attempt to better understand how the offenders’ involvement at this house of worship, along with their faith in general, have impacted them. Obtaining the perspectives of the offender is essential for three reasons. First, qualitative research conducted in the fields of criminal justice and criminology is not as abundant or wide ranging in specific subject matter compared to quantitative studies. Second, the qualitative research knowledge as to what addicts and offenders actually perceive as impacting their criminal trajectories is limited. Most research on the impact of religiosity on crime and deviance fails to account for the viewpoints of offenders through qualitative research. Third, in order for faith-based organizations to discover if they are helping offenders become more law-abiding, particular focused must be made on the FBOs that appear to be attracting offenders and addicts organically.
The concept of religiosity pertains to how devout a person or group may be, both in rate and behavior, for whichever particular faith in a higher entity that they worship. Religiosity is comprised of multiple aspects of worshiping a higher-being, including but not limited to physical and spiritual adherence to the central tenets of a particular religion. Additionally, and by extension, increasing rates of religious involvement and commitment have been touted as a mechanism to aid people in desisting from crime and deviance, as well as helping to prevent the engagement into criminal activity or substance abuse.
The themes identified in this project support the inverse relationship between criminal offending and religiosity, and the positive relationship between religiosity and prosocial behavior like volunteerism. Offenders want a non-judgmental church home that delivers sermons which relate Biblical scripture to modern-day societal struggles. Religiosity and salvation were identified as turning points within Life-Course Theory.
ORCID ID
0000-0003-4714-0003
Copyright
William Holt, 2020
Recommended Citation
Holt, William Hunter, "Non-Traditional Church Involvement as a Life-Course Turning Point: Qualitative Interviews with Religious Offenders" (2020). Dissertations. 1761.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1761
Included in
Christianity Commons, Cognitive Psychology Commons, Criminal Law Commons, Criminology Commons, Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons, Developmental Psychology Commons, Development Studies Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Health Law and Policy Commons, Health Policy Commons, Law and Psychology Commons, Law and Society Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Peace and Conflict Studies Commons, Public Administration Commons, Public Affairs Commons, Public Policy Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Religion Law Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Social Policy Commons