Study shows churches can help lower crime rates

The power of church in developing religious and moral foundations has already been documented.

But a recent Penn study added a chapter by showing the effect of church attendance in reducing crime.

Byron Johnson, director of the Center for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society, found that African-American youths who attend church regularly are less likely to engage in criminal activities than those who do not.

His study, entitled "The Role of African-American Churches in Reducing Crime Among Black Youth," examined data from 1,700 young adults between the ages of 15 and 21 years old.

"I hope this shows to those involved with faith communities that their efforts are beginning to pay off and offers a sense of encouragement to them," Johnson said. "

The research suggested that regularly attending religious services likely fosters social networks of peers and mentors, thereby reducing delinquent behavior and crime.

Johnson, a criminologist, tested three hypotheses. First, he hypothesized that African-American youth who attend regular service engage in less criminal activity.

Second, he examined whether the harmful effects of of inner-city neighborhoods on crime are reduced by religious involvement.

Third, he tested whether youth living in bad neighborhoods are more likely to commit crimes than those living in good neighborhoods.

At the end of the study, Johnson's first two hypotheses proved true, but the third added a twist.

Johnson found that youths from bad neighborhoods who were actively involved in church activities have lower serious crime rates than youths from good neighborhoods, suggesting that church involvement in inner-city neighborhoods fosters a better community.

"In the decay of some inner cities, there is hope," Johnson said. "I hope, in light of the developments in Washington, that policy makers see this."

The Bush administration is currently supporting a number of faith-based organizations, acting on the advice of Penn Political Science professor John DiIulio, who earlier this year was named director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

For the research, Johnson analyzed a longitudinal study of 1,700 youths in 1981.

Though Johnson wished that "we had data on 2001," he said that striking parallels still apply.

"There are always concerns with longitudinal studies," Johnson said. "However, because the African-American population has consistently been shown to be extremely religious, the data probably still reflects the realities of today."

The lack of data is also puzzling given the role religion plays in American culture.

"For 70 years, Gallup data has shown that religion is very important to Americans," Johnson said. "I hope that in light of this, people start to collect data with an eye towards religion."

Johnson, who has been interested in religion for a long time, started studying prisoners since many of them have had religious conversion experiences while incarcerated. That interest translated to delinquency and religion, an "area that is understudied and neglected."

In light of this study, Johnson hopes to expand his research on the effectiveness of other faith-based organizations. For example, he is currently working on how effective faith-based drug treatment centers are compared to their secular counterparts.

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