Religion as a Factor of (Social) Support in Serving a Prison Sentence

Gojković, Teodora (2024) Religion as a Factor of (Social) Support in Serving a Prison Sentence. In: International scientific conference “Life in prison: criminological, penological, psychological, sociological, legal, security, and medical issues”, Institute of criminological and sociological research, Belgrade December 2 and 3, 2024. Institute of criminological and sociological research, Belgrade, pp. 493-500. ISBN 978-86-80756-73-8

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Abstract

At the end of the last and the beginning of the new millennium, research indicated the growing significance of religion for convicted individuals serving prison sentences. It has been shown that dedication to religion can play a significant role in the primary prevention of delinquent behavior, as well as in rehabilitation and the reduction of recidivism. During the prison sentence, commitment to religious life can provide social support to the convicted individuals, helping to reduce isolation, increase the sense of belonging, and create social networks and group connections that strengthen emotional support and psychological resilience. The main aim of this paper is to highlight why it is important to seriously consider the potential of religion as a factor in the social, and then moral, transformation of convicted individuals, given that this issue has been rarely addressed from sociological, penological, and criminological perspectives. This is a review paper in which the author attempts to provide a theoretical and hypothetical framework for future empirical research that could test the thesis of religion’s supportive role in the prison environment. Besides offering a framework for collective identity and ensuring the preservation of social order and structure from a sociological perspective, religion contributes to fulfilling needs for belonging, rootedness, and meaning. From criminological positions, its broader significance in the field of social control, or conventional or normative individual behavior, is recognized, with its protective and prosocial functions being highlighted in prison research. Engaging with this topic would strengthen the sociological approach to the study of religion in specific contexts like prison and would indirectly contribute to the formation of a Sociology of Prison Life. Additionally, it would have significant implications for creating certain measures and policies regarding individuals serving prison sentences, aimed at improving the moral and social climate in prisons.

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