TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - Religion and responsibility-taking among offenders in Colombia and South Africa: a qualitative assessment of a faith-based program in prison
JO  - International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology
A1  - Anderson, Matthew Lee
A1  - Burtt, Jason J.
A1  - Jang, Sung Joon
A1  - Booyens, Karen
A1  - Johnson, Byron R.
A1  - Joseph, Michael
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - This paper examines whether religion contributes to offenders taking responsibility for crimes. Specifically, we assessed whether participation in The Prisoner's Journey (TPJ), a bible study program, increased or decreased responsibility-taking. We also examined whether religious offenders that did not participate in TPJ were likely to take responsibility for their offenses. For this study, we conducted a quasi-experiment in two Colombian and five South African prisons from 2018 to 2019, collecting data from personal interviews with a total of 73 inmates-42 TPJ participants and 31 non-participants-before and after the program. Offenders frequently offered subtle accounts of responsibility that incorporated their own agency with other factors. Highly religious offenders were equally likely to take responsibility, and in some cases participation in TPJ heightened responsibility. In sum, this paper presents evidence that religious beliefs and practice are commensurate with responsibility-taking and desistance from crime.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0306-624X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0306624X221102795
ID  - ref1
ER  -