RELIGION COULD BE PART OF STREET-GANG SOLUTION

Education, recreation, health funding, along with calls for harsher
punishments or more police -- these are the kinds of things that often
come up whenever people wonder what should be done to address
Manitoba's growing problem of youth crime and gangs (Youth homicide
rate cause for concern, July 20.) But why doesn't anyone ever mention
religion?

It's a surprising omission, considering the number of studies showing
the important role religion plays in preventing young people from
becoming involved in crime, or abusing drugs and alcohol.

The U.S. Centre for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society
identified more than 600 studies that show religion's positive effect
on physical, mental, and social health. The centre concluded that
religious youths are less likely to commit crimes, fight, drink and
drive, carry weapons or use drugs and alcohol.

According to the centre's director, Byron Johnson, "Religion is one of
the best predictors of avoiding crime and delinquency."

A study by the University of North Carolina-based National Study of
Youth and Religion revealed that youths who go to church regularly, or
who say that religion is important in their lives, are much less
likely to be involved in various forms of substance abuse, get into
trouble or commit crimes, are less involved in violence, less likely
to have school problems or have difficulties with their parents.

It could be argued that these groups were just finding what they were
looking for. But George Gallup, head of the George H. Gallup
International Institute, notes that there is "a mountain of survey
data" showing that people who fit the category of "highly spiritually
committed" are far less likely to engage in antisocial and
irresponsible behaviour than those who are less committed, with lower
rates of crime, drinking and using drugs among that group.

Teens with deep spiritual commitment, he added, "are far more likely
than their counterparts to be happy, goal-oriented, hopeful about the
future, to see a reason for their existence, to do better in school
work, to be less likely to get into trouble, and more likely to serve
others."

Closer to home, Michael C. Chettleburgh, one of Canada's foremost
authorities on youth gangs, says there is value in "the faith
community in engaging in the fight against the growing gang problem."

Chettleburgh, author of Young Thugs, adds that "I see value in
religion to help ground a youth in good morals."

Why does religion play such an important role in crime prevention?
According to Glen Elder, author of the book Mean Streets: Youth Crime and
Homelessness, it's about being part of a community that shares common
values and whose members look out for each other. For youth, this means
that "somebody always has his hand on your back," he says.

A recent study by University of Lethbridge sociologist and researcher
Reginald Bibby found something similar. According to Bibby, people who
believe in God are more likely than non-believers to endorse virtues
such as honesty, courtesy, kindness, generosity, concern for others,
forgiveness and patience. Why? Because people involved with religious
groups are more likely to be exposed to teaching about living
virtuously, and then make it their practice.

People who don't associate with religious groups are "not being
exposed to those interpersonal values, and they're simply not holding
them as strongly," Bibby says.

Of course, there are exceptions. Simply going to a place of worship
doesn't guarantee a life free of crime. As Chettleburgh says: "If a
child is faced with multiple risk factors -- poverty, discrimination,
presence of gangs in the neighbourhood, poor parental supervision,
social alienation, drug addiction and the list goes on -- no measure
of faith-based teachings may keep him or her safe from the pull of the
gang."

Likewise, many youths don't need to be religious to stay out of
trouble. Lots of great kids never go to church, mosque, gurdwara,
temple, synagogue or any other place of worship, and never commit crimes.

Helping at-risk youth avoid getting into trouble requires the efforts
of many groups and different kinds of activities and strategies,
including education and recreation.

Considering the seriousness of the situation, it would seem foolish
not to try to include religion in that fight -- something that seems
to have a proven track record when it comes to addressing the issue of
youth crime.