THE IMPACT OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION ON CRIMINAL THINKING AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT OF INCARCERATED POPULATION OF PESHAWAR CENTRAL JAIL

Abstract

The main objective of the present study is to investigate the impact of religious educational program on inmates’ criminal thinking and moral development in Central Jail Peshawar. A time series research design was employed, and a sample of 100 inmates was selected, including newly incarcerated individuals as well as those who had been imprisoned for no more than six months. These inmates were enrolled in educational programs. Both male and female inmates, convicted of crimes such as murder, fraud, burglary, sexual assault, terrorism, and harassment, were included. The age range of the study participants was 25 to 50 years. Inmates with psychological or physical disorders, those below the age of 25, and inmates incarcerated for more than six months already involved in prior educational programs were omitted from the study. Data was collected using standardized instruments i-e the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (Walters, 2006) and the Scale for Moral Development (Khanam & Iqbal, 2011). Religious education showed a negative but nonsignificant association with moral development (β = −0.302, p = 0.756), whereas vocational education demonstrated a positive and statistically significant relationship (β = 2.337, p = 0.065). Moral development increased significantly from Phase 1 to Phase 2 (β = 0.694, p < 0.001), while no significant difference was observed between Phase 1 and Phase 3 (β = 0.237, p = 0.115). Overall, the model was statistically significant (χ² = 28.154, p < 0.001), indicating that vocational education contributes positively to moral development, whereas religious education does not show a significant effect. Compared to other education programs, religious education (β = −3.08, p = 0.379) and vocational education (β = −4.017, p = 0.379) were negatively but not significantly associated with criminal thinking, suggesting only a weak reduction effect. In contrast, criminal thinking increased significantly in Phase 2 (β = 1.489, p = 0.002) and Phase 3 (β = 1.646, p = 0.001) relative to Phase 1. Overall, the model was statistically significant (χ² = 14.910, p = 0.005). Results did not support that Religious education impact on moral development and criminal thinking will be more as compared to other forms of educational intervention.