NCJ Number
224782
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 36 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2008 Pages: 389-395
Date Published
September 2008
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effect of faith-based program participation on reducing the likelihood of prison misconduct.
Abstract
Life Connections Program (LCP) participants were just as likely as the comparison subjects to be involved in all forms of misconduct. When all misconduct was divided into the categories of serious misconduct and less serious misconduct then an effect for LCP participation on serious misconduct was demonstrated. Study findings provide limited support for the effectiveness of the LCP, but there is the hanging question of why LCP participants did not differ from the comparison subjects on the less serious forms of misconduct. Religion has been found to be an important component of corrections in the United States dating back to the first prison. Formal prison programs based on faith principles only recently appeared, therefore there are a limited number of studies that have evaluated this form of correctional programming. Using a quasi-experimental research design to compare official misconduct data with propensity-score approach, this study addressed whether participation in the LCP was associated with a decline in prison misconduct while in the program. Tables and references