Exploration Into Participation in a Faith-Based Prison Program

• NCJ Number: 216084
• Journal: Criminology & Public Policy Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2006 Pages: 529-550
• Author(s): Scott D. Camp; Jody Klein-Saffran; Okyun (Karl) Kwon; Dawn M. Daggett; Victoria Joseph
• Date Published: August 2006
• Length: 22 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study explored the characteristics of inmates who volunteered for participation in the Life Corrections Program (LCP), a faith-based, 18-month residential program of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

Abstract

Results indicated that inmates who volunteered for participation in LCP were less certain of their religiosity yet they attended religious services regularly since entering prison and they tended to be moderate or liberal in their religious beliefs. Inmates who were unlikely to volunteer for participation in LCP were more established in their religious attendance before coming to prison, were more confident in their understanding of sacred texts, and were more fundamental in their religious beliefs. Another characteristic associated with LCP participation included self-reported motivation for change, although the LCP participants and the comparison participants did not differ in their ratings of self-worth or in their level of desire for community integration following release. The findings suggest that program attractiveness is not universal among inmates and, as such, program administrators need to carefully evaluate their programs to understand the connection between program content and the type of inmate likely to participate. Data on volunteerism and program failure were collected from 999 inmates who completed surveys between August 2004 and May 2005. Participants were 407 inmates participating in LCP at 5 treatment prisons and a comparison group of 592 inmates not enrolled in LCP at 5 other prisons. Data were also gathered from the participants' official BOP files. Variables under analysis included religious background and beliefs, sociodemographic information, prosocial values, and motivation for change. Descriptive statistics and standard logistic regression models were used to compare the LCP participants with the comparison participants. Tables, footnotes, references