Religion, Crime, and Criminal Justice Page 1 of 18 PRINTED FROM OXFORD HANDBOOKS ONLINE (www.oxfordhandbooks.com). (c) Oxford University Press, 2015. All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a title in Oxford Handbooks Online for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy). Subscriber: University Hospitals Case Medical Center; date: 15 June 2016 Religion, Crime, and Criminal Justice Byron R. Johnson and Curtis S. Schroeder Abstract and Keywords Religion and crime are independent subjects that continue to receive significant attention in most societies. However, we do not have an extensive or well-developed research literature examining the direct and indirect ways in which these two topics relate to each other. This curious oversight is unfortunate, because upon close examination of the extant literature, we find that the relationship between religion and crime is quite robust, consistently inverse, and carries with it relevant implications for theory and practice. Additionally, the relationship between religion and crime offers important insights for sacred-secular approaches to crime prevention strategies and policy formation that ultimately improves the overall effectiveness of the criminal justice system. Keywords: religion, religiosity, faith-based, crime, delinquency, prevention, policy formation Introduction To better understand the past, present, and future role of religion in addressing matters related to crime, delinquency, offender treatment, rehabilitation programs, and even the transition of prisoners back to society, this essay examines the relevant research literature in order to assess the possible benefit or harm that religious influences may bring to bear on criminal justice. In addition, we summarize the current state of our knowledge regarding the relationship between religion and crime and also discuss how religion, faith-based groups, and religious institutions may play a more central and salutary role in improving the effectiveness of the criminal justice system. I. Religion and Criminal Behavior Contemporary research on the religion-crime relationship can be traced to Hirschi and Starks’s classic article titled “Hellfire and Delinquency,” published in 1969. Hirschi and Subject: Criminology and Criminal Justice, Communities and Crime Online Publication Date: Jul 2014 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935383.013.005 Oxford Handbooks Online