Delinquency, Religion, and Reciprocation: Effects of Social Control across the Early Life Course

• In Event: 570 - Section on Crime, Law and Deviance Paper Session. Sex, Gender, and Crime, Law, and Deviance

Abstract

Empirical research in criminology utilizing social control theory typically argues that the strength of bonds to religious institutions subsequently affects delinquency, while work in the sociology of religion typically considers the reverse, whereby delinquency is the independent variable. Findings supporting both directions results in uncertainty about the temporal order of the relationship and leads us to hypothesize a bidirectional and reciprocal relationship rather than a strictly unilateral one. Given the quite varied rates of participation in delinquency and religious institutions among males and females, as well as large changes in both domains across the early life course, we also hypothesize that effects of religious institutions will differ by gender across this period of the life course. We fit cross-lagged panel models to three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine these relationships. The analysis provides support for our hypotheses; females and males exhibit different significant relationships between religious institution elements of social control theory. For females early in the life course, there is clear support for delinquency affecting subsequent religiosity, as well as reciprocal effects. For males throughout, as well as females later in the life course, there is only support for religion affecting delinquency. The results illustrate the need for a more nuanced interpretation of the relationship between crime and religion.

Authors

• Ty Miller, Purdue University

• Michael Vuolo, The Ohio State University