Reintegrative shaming, redemption, and acceptance: A survey of Christian church goers in eastern North Carolina

• Published in: Journal of ethnicity in criminal justice Vol. 14; no. 4; pp. 348 - 370
• Main Authors: Jones, Mark, Sims, Barbara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Binghamton Routledge 01.10.2016; Taylor & Francis LLC
• Subjects: Acceptance; Adolescents; Black American people; Burglary; Christian churches; Christianity; Correctional treatment programs; Crime; Criminal justice; criminological theory; Criminology; Education; Female offenders; Homicide; Juvenile justice; Juvenile offenders; Liability; Middle aged men; Middle aged people; Middle aged women; Ministers; Money; Murder; Offenders; Offenses; Plague; Policy makers; Policy making; Race; Racial identity; Recidivism; Redemption; reentry; Reintegration; Religion; Restorative justice; Roman Catholics; Safety; Seriousness; Sex offenders; Shame; Young adults; North Carolina
• ISSN: 1537-7938; 1537-7946
• DOI: 10.1080/15377938.2016.1202167

Objectives: Using Braithwaite's ( 1989 ) notions of crime, shame, and reintegration as theoretical underpinning, we identify factors associated with acceptance of a variety of offenders accused or convicted of various criminal behaviors among Christian church goers in a North Carolina county. Using a convenience sample method, surveys were administered to 365 church goers, with an effort to include a mixture of respondents that reflected the population of the county being sampled, in terms of race, gender, age, education level, and denominational affiliation. The survey included numerous vignettes, identifying crimes ranging in seriousness from underage drinking to murder, and from a variety of offenders including teenagers, young adults, middle aged women and middle aged men. Bivariate and multivariate techniques were employed to analyze the data. Acceptance was greatest for young adult and teenaged offenders for a variety of minor offenses, but also for young men that had been convicted of burglary and released into the community. Respondents were least accepting of sex offenders and people that had stolen money from the church. Race was one of the key variables, with African Americans being consistently most accepting of almost all categories of offense and offender. Acceptance was also associated with denomination, with Unitarian Universalists being the most accepting, and Roman Catholics being the least accepting. Acceptance was also positively associated with age and amount of formal education. Our results may reinforce Chiricos, Welch, & Gertz's ( 2004 ) ideas of racial typification of crime, and that crime and the "criminal" label revolve to a great degree around race. Concerns of safety and liability of church members continue to plague church ministers and staff. The church as an agent of reintegration and acceptance of offenders should continue to receive attention from scholars, the public and policy makers. Churches may serve as vehicles for effecting restorative justice programs.