Religion and Cultural Responsivity

The role of religiosity in rehabilitation and desistance from offending behavior has increasingly gained attention in contemporary criminological research. This chapter examines how faith and religious identities can facilitate prosocial behavior among individuals with sexual offence convictions. Religiosity can be considered a vital responsivity factor in the rehabilitation and desistance of individuals with sexual offence convictions. This chapter examines how religious identities and narratives – particularly within Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam – support identity transformation and moral reform. Drawing on empirical research, it highlights mechanisms such as self-forgiveness, coping, and engagement with protective factors, situating religion as a responsivity factor within the RNR Model.