NCJ Number
240669
Journal
Alabama Law Review Volume: 63 Issue: 1 Dated: 2011 Pages: 43-95
Date Published
2011
Length
53 pages
Annotation
This article examines collected literature about the effectiveness of faith-based prisons.
Abstract
Results based on current research indicate that there is no strong reason to believe that faith-based prisons work. However, there is also no strong reason to believe that they do not work. This study critically evaluates the empirical studies of the effectiveness of faith-based prisons. The focus examines whether they reduce in-prison infractions or some measure of post-release recidivism, such as time to re-arrest, probability of re-arrest, or probability of reconviction. Findings show two studies that find no effect of faith-based programs, one study that's too small to be meaningful, and three studies that find some effect, even if the effect that a few of these find is quite weak. And of those three, two were'nt about prisoners at all, but about after-care of released prisoners, and the remaining one shows no significant effect once the prisoners have been released. There is no available study that actually finds a significant effect of an in-prison faith-based program on recidivism. This study concludes with thoughts on how faith-based prison programs might be improved, and offer a strategy that would allow such experimentation to proceed consistent with the Constitution.