Beyond assumptive deterrence: understanding the socio-environmental dynamics in crimes by Christian clerics and its implications for crime control

AbstractEmerging reports are increasingly implicating Christian clerics in array of unlawful and criminal behaviours, thus questioning the deterrence efficacy of Christianity as a religious body in contemporary times. Nevertheless, criminological debates on religion-crime nexus, aside terrorism, continue to be founded on deterrence assumption – the premises that religion promotes morally responsive citizens. We argued that this assumption neglects the role of socio-environmental dynamics in molding religion-crime outcomes from a strain perspective. Anchored on General Strain theory, this study acknowledged the paradox of Christian Cler ics’ involvement in crime and sought to qualitatively, understand the socio-environmental realities, acting as strains and contributing to the growing phenomenon of crimes among Christian clerics in Benue state, Nigeria. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (F GDs). Christian clerics, church leaders, legal practitioners and police officers were engaged in in-depth interview while worshipers of different Christian denominations in the state were engaged in different FGDs. The study found that Christianity in Benue state operates within strain-based socio-e nvironment that lures its clerics to crime as a way of fulfilling family, congregational and community expectations. The Christian enterprise in the state was also found to be encoded in deterrence expectations and reverence, which further inhibit the ...
Source: Crime, Law and Social Change - Category: Criminology Source Type: research