Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

Link to this comparison view

Next revision 		Previous revision
effects_of_religious_practice_on_crime_rates [2016/03/21 04:37]
marri created 		effects_of_religious_practice_on_crime_rates [2022/03/23 16:14] (current)
Line 1: Line 1:
 +==========Effects of Religious Practice on Crime Rates==========
 +
 +Metropolitan areas with high rates of congregational membership and areas with high levels of religious homogeneity tend to have lower homicide and suicide rates than other metropolitan areas.((Robert A. Hummer, Christopher G. Ellison, Richard G. Rogers, Benjamin E. Moulton, and Ron R. Romero, “Religious Involvement and Adult Mortality in the United States: Review and Perspective,” //Southern Medical Journal// 97, no. 12 (December 2004): 1224-1225.)) States with more religious populations tend to have fewer homicides and [[effects_of_religious_practice_on_health|fewer suicides]].((David Lester, “Religiosity and Personal Violence: A Regional Analysis of Suicide and Homicide Rates,” //The Journal of Social Psychology// 127, no. 6 (December 1987): 685-686)) Religious attendance is associated with direct decreases in both minor and major forms of crime and deviance, to an extent unrivalled by government welfare programs.((Byron R. Johnson, David B. Larson, Spencer De Li, and Sung Joon Jang, “Escaping from the Crime of Inner Cities: Church Attendance and Religious Salience Among Disadvantaged Youth,” //Justice Quarterly// 17, no. 2 (June 2000): 377-339.)) There is a 57 percent decrease in likelihood to deal drugs and a 39 percent decrease in likelihood to commit a crime among the young, black [[effects_of_religious_practice_on_poor_communities|inner city population]] if they attend religious services regularly.((Byron R. Johnson, David B. Larson, Spencer De Li, and Sung Joon Jang, “Escaping from the Crime of Inner Cities: Church Attendance and Religious Salience Among Disadvantaged Youth,” //Justice Quarterly// 17, no. 2 (June 2000): 377-339.)) 
 +
 +In a major national survey of adolescents, a 6 percent [[effects_of_religious_practice_on_poor_communities|reduction in delinquency]] was associated with a one-point increase on an index that combined adolescents’ frequency of religious attendance with their rating of religion’s importance.((Lisa D. Pearce and Dana L. Haynie, “Intergenerational Religious Dynamics and Adolescent Delinquency,” //Social Forces// 82, no. 4 (June 2004): 1553-1572.)) Each unit increase in a [[effects_of_religious_practice_on_family_relationships|mother’s religious practice]] is associated with a 9 percent decline in her child’s delinquency. The adolescents at lowest risk for delinquency typically have highly religious mothers and are themselves highly religious.((Lisa D. Pearce and Dana L. Haynie, “Intergenerational Religious Dynamics and Adolescent Delinquency,” //Social Forces// 82, no. 4 (June 2004): 1553-1572.)) 
 +
 +====1.1 Related American Demographics====
 +
 +Children who attend religious services at least weekly are more likely to have positive social development than those who never attend religious services.((Nicholas Zill and Patrick Fagan, "Children’s Positive Social Development and Religious Attendance," The Mapping America Project. Available at [[http://www.frc.org/mappingamerica/mapping-america-58-childrens-positive-social-development-and-religious-attendance]]. Accessed July 26, 2012.)) According to the Adolescent Health Survey (Wave I), adolescents who worship at least weekly are less likely to be repeat shoplifters than those who worship less frequently.((This chart draws on a large national sample (16,000) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. This work was done by the author in cooperation with former colleagues at The Heritage Foundation, Washington, D.C. \\ Patrick F. Fagan, "Religious Attendance and Shoplifting," Mapping America Project. Available at [[http://marri.us/wp-content/uploads/MA-10-12-152.pdf]])) (See [[http://marri.us/wp-content/uploads/MA-10-12-152.pdf|Chart]])
 +
 +[[http://marri.us/wp-content/uploads/MA-10-12-152.pdf|{{ :religious_attendance_and_shoplifting.jpg?500 |Repeat Shoplift}}]]
 +
 +Similarly, adolescents who worship at least weekly are less likely to steal than those who worship less frequently.((This chart draws on a large national sample (16,000) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. This work was done by the author in cooperation with former colleagues at The Heritage Foundation, Washington, D.C. \\  Patrick F. Fagan, "Religious Attendance and Theft," Mapping America Project. Available at [[http://marri.us/wp-content/uploads/MA-22-24-156.pdf]])) (See [[http://marri.us/wp-content/uploads/MA-22-24-156.pdf|Chart]]). 
 +
 +[[http://marri.us/wp-content/uploads/MA-22-24-156.pdf|{{ :religious_attendance_and_theft.jpg?500 |Theft}}]]
 +
 +The 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth showed that 15 percent of those who attended religious services at least once per week committed assault, compared to 17 percent of those who attended more than once a month, 21 percent of those who attended less than monthly, and 22 percent of those who never attended.((Patrick F. Fagan and Scott Talkington, "'Ever Assaulted Someone' by Current Religious Attendance and Structure of Family of Origin," Mapping America Project. Available at [[http://marri.us/wp-content/uploads/MA-106.pdf]])) (See [[http://marri.us/wp-content/uploads/MA-106.pdf|Chart]] Below) 
 +
 +[[http://marri.us/wp-content/uploads/MA-106.pdf|{{ :ever_assaulted_someone_by_current_religious_attendance.jpg?500 |"Ever Assaulted Something"}}]]
 +
 +Correspondingly, those who frequently attend religious services are less likely to be arrested. According to the  National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, only 5 percent of youths who currently attend weekly religious services have ever been arrested, followed by those who attend one to three times a month (7 percent), those who attend less than once a month (10 percent), and those who never attend church (11 percent).((Patrick F. Fagan and Scott Talkington, "'Ever Been Arrested' by Current Religious Attendance and Structure of Family of Origin," Mapping America Project. Available at [[http://marri.us/wp-content/uploads/MA-102.pdf]].
 +\\
 +\\
 +\\
 +This entry draws heavily from [[http://marri.us/research/research-papers/95-social-science-reasons-for-religious-worship-and-practice/|95 Social Science Reasons for Religious Worship and Practice]] and [[http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2006/12/why-religion-matters-even-more-the-impact-of-religious-practice-on-social-stability|Why Religion Matters Even More: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability]].)) (See [[http://marri.us/wp-content/uploads/MA-102.pdf|Chart]] Below) 
 +
 +[[http://marri.us/wp-content/uploads/MA-102.pdf|{{ :ever_been_arrested_by_current_religious_attendance.jpg?500 |"Ever Been Arrested"}}]]