Religious Dysfunctions of Incarceration
| Author | Frances McIntyre,Peter O Peretti |
| Published date | 01 September 1984 |
| Date | 01 September 1984 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/000486588401700305 |
| Subject Matter | Research Note |
AUST
&
NZ
JOURNAL
OF
CRIMINOLOGY
(September 1984) 17 (177-180)
RESEARCH NOTE: RELIGIOUS DYSFUNCTIONS OF
INCARCERATION
Peter
0Peretti and Frances McIntyre*
177
Durkheim
(1964) noted that every known culture included some form of religious
orientation, therefore, he concluded
that
religion was necessary to
human
groups.
He defined religion as "a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred
things, uniting a single moral community of all those who adhere to those beliefs
and practices". Impressed by the universality of religion,
Durkheim
examined
religion systematically and identified the functions it fulfilled for society.
He
developed the functionalistic, theoretical approach and used it for
the
fullest
exposition of the prevasiveness, criticalness and acuteness of religion as
part
of
social life (Alpert, 1938;
O'Dea,
1966).
The
functionalist approach identifies several functions of religion
(Durkheim,
1964;
O'Dea,
1970; Roof, 1976;
Turner
and Maryanski, 1979), namely, the:
(1) Things considered sacred (objects or persons inspiring awe, reverence and
respect) as compared to things considered
profane
(objects or persons ordinary,
mundane,
and
not sacred). A
God
epitomized as a sacred person is characterized
as omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. His Being functions to control
human
destiny.
(2) Strengthening of social norms through the reinforcement of values, attitudes,
beliefs and the moral order. These provide acommon basis preserving and
solidifying common mental and behavioural performances necessary for stabilizing
society.
(3) Support and consolation of individuals unable to cope with everyday life,
disasters, conflicting situations and/or explanations beyond immediate
comprehension.
The
functional interpretation of religion has contributed agreat deal to
understanding religion as a social phenomenon and as an institution of
human
society. It is theoretically
paramount
in its emphasis on social contagion
and
the
fostering of social integration (Lenski, 1961;
Demerath
and Roof, 1976; Wilson,
1978).
Incarceration can have a devastating influence on the personality of
the
inmate.
There
can be abrupt mental as well as behavioural changes due to drastic changes
in social roles and the social environment. Modifications of religious value-
orientations have been found within inmate populations (Peretti, 1971, 1976). A
comparative study between matched groups of individuals -
one
group
incarcerated; one group non-incarcerated -found greater religious value-
orientation changes in the former group (Peretti, 1976).
*Kennedy-King College, Chicago, Illinois,
USA.
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