Religious Beliefs and Public Support for the Death Penalty for Juveniles and Adults

David Garland's recent book Punishment and Modern Society should prompt a reconsideration of the role of religion in shaping public opinion and public policy in the area of criminal justice. The present study examines the relationship between certain religious beliefs associated with fundamentalist and evangelical Protestantism and support for capital punishment for both adults and juveniles. The analysis reveals that these beliefs generally do have positive direct effects on support for the death penalty. One of them, an adherence to a literal interpretation of the Bible, is nearly as predictive as race of support for the death penalty. Suggestions are offered for a research agenda which would abandon the “secularization paradigm” which has characterized criminal justice research, and social and behavioral science research in general, and examine more carefully the connection between religion and justice.