NCJ Number
206515
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 48 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2004 Pages: 414-428
Date Published
August 2004
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study of Muslim male inmates in 30 Ohio State prisons determined their characteristics, patterns of identification with Islam, religious behavior inside the prisons, and relations between conversion to Islam and crime committed.
Abstract
Inmates who indicate that they believe in the Ramadan fast (whether they actually fast or not) are considered to be Muslim, according to the official definition used by the prison system. Inmates who met this definition were included in this study sample. In the Ohio prison system in 1999 and 2000, 1,440 inmates were identified as Muslim. Of the mail questionnaires sent to the full-time chaplains in the prisons, 227 questionnaires (16 percent) were received from 16 of the 30 prisons. The Muslim inmates were similar in age, marital status, and education attainment to the larger inmate population. They differed significantly in race and ethnicity compared with the general inmate population, with a larger proportion of the Muslim inmates being African-American. There was apparently a high level of commitment to the practice of Islam among all adherents, whether they became Muslim before or during incarceration. More than 90 percent reported that they prayed five times per day either often or sometimes. Similarly, large majorities in each group (Muslim before and Muslim during incarceration) practiced fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. The two groups differed somewhat in the extent to which they reported reading the Qur'an and attended Friday prayer, although large numbers followed this practice as well. Sixty percent of the inmates in the entire sample committed a crime against persons, and 66 percent of those who converted to Islam during their incarceration committed this type of crime. A significantly lower percentage (46 percent) of those who identified with Islam before incarceration were imprisoned for having committed a crime against persons; still, this type of crime was the main reason for the incarceration of most in this sample. A higher percentage of those who identified with Islam before incarceration committed a sex offense (16 percent) compared with those who converted to Islam while incarcerated. There was no evidence, therefore, that type of crime was significantly associated with identification with Islam. Ideological differences between adherents of the Nation of Islam and the American Muslim Mission apparently had no influence on the type of crime committed. Suggestions for future research in this area are offered, including an exploration of various explanations for Islam's appeal to African-Americans, particularly African-Americans in prison. 5 tables and 26 references