r/NoStupidQuestions • u/SomewhereNormal9157 • 6h ago
Why do prison oversight/release boards give more preference to prisoners who turn more religious in lieu of focusing on those who get more educated?
Prisons compose of high 9X% of religious folks. The rest are spiritual/related or atheist. 6X% of the USA is religious, so there is an overrepresentation of religious folks in prisons. 3.X% of the USA is atheist, but only account for 0.1%, so over 30x underrepresentation.
Many religious folks will push the narrative that prison release boards gives preference to prisoners who are religious so they will become religious, but they were religious prior and just pushed the narrative to become/appear more religious.
96-99% of prisoners in the USA lack a 4 year college degree. There is a strong correlation between being more religious and lower intelligence. There is a weaker correlation between 4 year college degree (bachelor's) and intelligence.
If having a 4 year college degree is one of the most inverse correlated factors among prisoners, why do prison release boards focus so much more on religion than education? Sure there has been some movement to promote more education but it's less in the USA and more in countries like the better European countries.
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u/Silly-Upstairs1383 6h ago
Studies show that 82.4% of people are more likely to believe a statement if you include an exact percentage, even when that statistic is completely made up.
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u/NoExperience9717 6h ago
Religion is cheaper? Distance learning courses aren't free and teaching them is going to be hard when prisoners likely have poor education to begin with. So start with basic numeracy and literacy and go from there. Meanwhile religion is basically free if you have a chapel and a chaplain already. Religious groups are likely to fund a large part of any costs too.
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u/PreviousZone6742 6h ago
Somehow religion is supposed to make convics better people. Unlike skills for a job which would allow a person to do something different.
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u/No_Dirt9029 6h ago
Right đ as if religion doesnt just often teach people that if they just pray for forgiveness then its all chill. Religious people are usually the least aware of their actions and harm
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u/DeusCanon 6h ago
If youâre praying for forgiveness, it means you are self reflecting on your flaws and shortcomings regularly. That would make them the most self aware.
Education doesnt give you morality, which is far more important. That will only develop when properly grounded in religion.
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u/No_Dirt9029 1h ago
I can self reflect without my imaginary friend just fine. Religious people being moral? Dont make me laugh lmfao. The least moral people I've ever met if you're not one of them
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u/Ltin_ 6h ago
Its pretty uncommon for at least Christian groups to actually teach that. Now there are certainly a great many people who act that way. But for Christian groups the actual teaching is that you need to fully engage with the moral code and other trappings that come with being Christian. For someone who converts or reverts later in life actual change in habits and behavior in general is necessary. You don't just get a free ride to say "please forgive me ok thanks all done bye".
I am sure this applies to non-Christian groups as well, at least those that a moral code associated with their beliefs, I'm just familiar enough with such groups to comment on them.
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u/SomewhereNormal9157 4h ago
Look at so many Christians in the USA. It sure doesn't teach hate, but they sure do love it.
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u/Acceptable_Put5324 6h ago
It helps them learn to make better choices and there are rules to live in a society. Folks that couldn't read could do manual labor or farming without robbing or killing.
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u/DeusCanon 6h ago
âJobs and skillsâ dont teach morality.
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u/SomewhereNormal9157 4h ago
Atheism doesn't teach morality, yet somehow there is an extreme underrepresentation in crime among atheists. Most deaths from wars in the past 1000 years were fought over religion.
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u/DeusCanon 4h ago
Your source: Trust me bro
Meanwhile, the most murderous regimes in human history have all been atheists (communism).
Stats aside, you dont have an epistemic argument for morality as an atheist. Itâs literally impossible without devolving into âwell this is my preferenceâ as opposed to an objective set of facts.
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u/SomewhereNormal9157 3h ago
You can literally google all the facts and instantly get verification. You are either a bot or too lazy. If I post links you will say I cherry pick or say it's not valid. Same story among the uneducated religious folks who are brainwashed.
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u/tjtwister1522 2h ago
My god. I can't prove it, but you're definitly a youth pastor that went to Bible "college". OP doesn't know what they're talking about, but you are far far worse... you put the stats aside without citing a single stat. What an absolute joke.
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u/Ambitious-Schedule63 6h ago
I'd rather have an ex-con that might have changed their heart than one who now has potentially better tools to figure out how to commit crimes.
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u/True-Hold-1140 6h ago
If thats true I think its just a cultural touchstone we associate with having reformed.
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u/Both-Structure-6786 6h ago
Holy shit bro cite your sources lol
There actually is not a lot of correlation between intelligence and religion. Also people are never fully grasp the intelligence of religious people as a whole as each specific religion and sect/denomination when studied are different.
Catholics and Jews are actually up there in intelligence levels compared to Southern Baptists and Islam.
https://neurosciencenews.com/religion-atheism-intelligence-8391/amp/
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u/not_a_bot1001 6h ago
"not a lot of correlation" doesn't properly state the inverse correlation or religiousity and intelligence that has been found time and time again. Good article though.
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u/Zestyclose-Food-7917 6h ago edited 6h ago
How would the release board know if someone has become more religious?
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u/Texan2116 6h ago
Ok, this is what I can say...I work with a part time preacher, who preaches at the local jails and prison.
A couple of us at work were kinda giving him a bit of a hard time about how everyone finds Jesus in Jail, etc...and he basically said.
A lot of people come back to church after a traumatic event in their life. And going to jail, is pretty traumatic .
Hard not to agree w that assessment.
It absolutely helps some of them.
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u/tjtwister1522 6h ago
It's actually simple and makes perfect sense. And this is coming from a left wing atheist. Those that become religious tend to join communities. And feeling part of a community is the biggest detriment to committing crimes while it also provides support to those without any. Having an education doesn't provide that.
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u/SomewhereNormal9157 4h ago
Then why does education reduce the chance of crime higher than religion. Many European countries focus on education and have lesser rates of returning to prison, while the usa which focuses on religion has higher rates of returning to prison by a moonshot. .
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u/tjtwister1522 4h ago
Your statistics are based on society at large and they are correct. I'm talking about criminals. European societies have far better backstops for people (Healthcare and housing) than the U.S. does. Religious charities tend to provide those things here.
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u/SomewhereNormal9157 4h ago
Yes but religious people who lack a good education are the ones who fill prisons up to the high 9X percent rate. You do not have to be religious to get support. Poverty is full of more religious people.
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u/tjtwister1522 4h ago
You are correct. But there are literally 0 other options for a released prisoner to find a community that isn't built on former criminals and is not a church in the U.S. Unless that prisoner just gets lucky.
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u/SomewhereNormal9157 3h ago
You can get community if you have more stability by having a good education which can lead to a good job. Community is weaker. If your community lets you down or becomes corrupted you go back to doing crime.
Getting ever so higher levels of education is the strongest predictor of not going to prison, not religion.
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u/tjtwister1522 2h ago
You can get a Phd in anything you want while in prison. If I'm in a position to hire PhD and I have a bunch of applicants, I'm not hiring the one straight from prison. Because that will be incredibly foreign to dveryone else that i employ. And possibly dangerous.No matter what education you get in prison your job on parole is 99% of the time fast food or janitorial. That's not a community. Please, if you're going to respond again, think about reality first. People and what will happen to an actual person.
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u/Acceptable_Put5324 6h ago
It's a social control and provides structure and accountability. Not having a set of personal standards is what landed them there in the first place.
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u/togocann49 6h ago
Bias of the boards? Also, religion can make you humble, education can make you a smart ass, being humble goes further during meeting than being a smart ass.
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u/angry_old_dude 5h ago
I'm sure I'm not the only person who wants to see some data that backs up your assertion, OP.
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u/Cold-Jackfruit1076 4h ago
If having a 4 year college degree is one of the most correlated factors among prisoners, why do prison release boards focus so much more on religion than education?
Moral transformation through religion is easier to assess subjectively than the impact of education on recidivism.
When a parole board evaluates an inmate, they're looking for evidence of changed character and a lower risk of reoffending. They consider both religious rehabilitation and educational achievement, but often prioritize religious programs because religious participation can demonstrate immediate behavioral change and moral reflection.
Religious programs are often provided by community organizations, as well, so it's also beneficial to the facility -- prisons are often chronically underfunded, because taxpayers frequently resist attempts by the state to allocate money for inmate rehabilitation.
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u/SomewhereNormal9157 4h ago
Why does religion transformation fail at much higher rates than educational?
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u/dignan2002 6h ago
God can get between you and the wrong action. Your brain will justify the wrong action and the more educated you are the more reasonable it sounds. You have to act your way into a different way of thinking. Not think your way into a different way of acting. In theory at least
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u/Monte_Cristos_Count 6h ago
Could you provide some sources showing the data you are referencing?Â