Why are Atheist/Non-religious so underrepresented in prisons?

[Renzi]

Why are Atheist/Non-religious so underrepresented in prisons? I have my ideas but want to hear other opinions. Both an American Pew Research Center and a study in the European Journal of Criminology found atheists, agnostics, and those unaffiliated with any religion were underrepresented in prisons.

[Token]

Because lower classes are overrepresented in prison, and plebs tend to be more religious.

[PlattitüdenPaule]

Because Atheists got the ghey.

[robertb]

Most likely because until recently most Americans raised as Christian. Southern guys may be the worst criminal and not been to church since he was a boy but will claim to be Christian because their family may still be religious. Some would even beat your ass talking bad about Jesus.

[Östsvensk]

I think it is common in prison to turn to religion to redeem themselves from their old ways. The popular Christian YouTube apologist David Wood is a former convict and a diagnosed psychopath who tried to murder his father with a hammer. Prison ministry is definitely a good career prospect.

Also, according to some studies, the non-religious on average have a higher IQ and people with higher IQ are probably more likely to be employed and therefore do not have to resort to crime to put food on the table. Generally speaking.

Most likely because until recently most Americans raised as Christian. Southern guys may be the worst criminal and not been to church since he was a boy but will claim to be Christian because their family may still be religious. Some would even beat your ass talking bad about Jesus.

[tropicalslavic]

I think if there was a way to classify them between "people who claim a religious identity" and "people who go to church (or mosque or whatever) every week and read the holy books and try to live their life fully according to the religion" you'd have a lot more people in prison from the former category than the latter. For example my mom would 100% call herself a Catholic even if she went to prison and they were doing a census, despite not being to a Catholic church since she was married in one 30+ years ago, but she's nothing like my one Portuguese friend who goes to mass every week, sometimes twice a week, prays the rosary daily, reads the Bible daily, etc. Their perspective on life, morality, good vs. evil, etc. is so different despite both calling themselves "Catholic". Yet my mother would be insulted if you suggested she is not really all that Catholic.

Most Latinos in the US have my mom's mentality about the same religion. Every Latino I've ever freaking met is a proud Catholic who goes to church on Christmas and Easter and has premarital sex and probably couldn't name more than a few books of the Bible etc. And hoodrat black people (as opposed to normal black people who are not like this) gravitate towards extreme forms of low church Protestant religion and Islam in the very same way. Hoodrat black people are the ones that mostly go to prison, they are the ones who frequently talk to me about how they love God and love the church or they're Muslim or whatever but you still see them sleeping around, eating pork, etc. Yet I know, again, low church Protestants and Muslims who are actually serious people and it's their adherence to the strictness of their religion that keeps them out of trouble.

[Renzi]

more ideas?

[zueira]

I think if there was a way to classify them between "people who claim a religious identity" and "people who go to church (or mosque or whatever) every week and read the holy books and try to live their life fully according to the religion" you'd have a lot more people in prison from the former category than the latter. For example my mom would 100% call herself a Catholic even if she went to prison and they were doing a census, despite not being to a Catholic church since she was married in one 30+ years ago, but she's nothing like my one Portuguese friend who goes to mass every week, sometimes twice a week, prays the rosary daily, reads the Bible daily, etc. Their perspective on life, morality, good vs. evil, etc. is so different despite both calling themselves "Catholic". Yet my mother would be insulted if you suggested she is not really all that Catholic.

Most Latinos in the US have my mom's mentality about the same religion. Every Latino I've ever freaking met is a proud Catholic who goes to church on Christmas and Easter and has premarital sex and probably couldn't name more than a few books of the Bible etc. And hoodrat black people (as opposed to normal black people who are not like this) gravitate towards extreme forms of low church Protestant religion and Islam in the very same way. Hoodrat black people are the ones that mostly go to prison, they are the ones who frequently talk to me about how they love God and love the church or they're Muslim or whatever but you still see them sleeping around, eating pork, etc. Yet I know, again, low church Protestants and Muslims who are actually serious people and it's their adherence to the strictness of their religion that keeps them out of trouble.

Catholic mom? Most Czechs are atheists!