NCJ Number
210440
Journal
American Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 29 Issue: 2 Dated: Spring 2005 Pages: 217-233
Date Published
2005
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether the revised social bond, which includes religion, accounted for students' lack of involvement in school delinquency.
Abstract
Data for the study were obtained from a needs assessment of 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders in a rural Southern county in the heart of the "Bible Belt" region. Data covered the 2001-2002 school year. Students were asked how often during the past 12 months they had engaged in 10 behaviors that ranged from intimidation to threatening others with weapons at school. These behaviors were the dependent variables. The six independent variables were commitment to school, commitment to education, parental involvement, emotional attachment to family, religion, and belief in school rules. The study found that religion was an insulator for the behaviors examined for all but the 10th graders; however, the restraining influence of religion was not as influential as attachment to the family or commitment to education for 6th or 8th graders. For 10th graders, the revised social bond explained 40 percent of the variance in school delinquency, yet religion was not significant in influencing school delinquency. The authors suggest that religion may lose its significance for this age group because it is viewed as a source of control and oppression during a period when youth are seeking independence from parents and other symbols of social control. The authors recommend that any faith-based efforts to address school delinquency target 12th graders, since for this age group the effects of religion approximate the effects on delinquency of both commitment to education and family attachment. Sixth and eighth graders, on the other hand, are more likely to benefit from programs that enhance school and family commitment. 2 tables and 55 references