Religiosity and Criminality

Abstract

Assertions about the relationship (or, sometimes, the lack of a relationship) between religiosity and criminality are examined in light of over 50 research studies, paying special attention to how criminality and particularly religiosity were operationalized in each study. These studies reveal that three religiosity-criminality relationships have been established. The best documented relationship is between church attendance and crime rates. At least among church members, the evidence consistently indicates that frequent church attenders have lower crime rates than infrequent attenders, especially regarding victimless offenses. Second, among the main Western religions, membership in the Jewish religion is associated with lower crime rates, compared to Christian religious membership as a whole; and, among Christians, Protestants as a whole have lower crime rates than Catholics. Third, belief in an afterlife with divine punishment possible, at least among persons who consider themselves members of an organized religion, is associated with lower crime rates. Four conventional explanations of these associations are assessed.