The Use of Religious Beliefs in the Prevention of Recidivism and Countering Extremism and Terrorism

The study is devoted to the consideration of two urgent interrelated problems – the prevention of recidivism and countering extremism and terrorism in Russia using religious institutions and canons. Clergymen and representatives of various religious organizations registered in Russia joined this work. They are increasingly involved in the work on the re-socialization, social adaptation and social rehabilitation of convicts and those who have served criminal sentences both in correctional institutions and after their release. In this regard, there are debates about the degree and nature of this activity, its assessment (positive or negative), as well as determining what really affects the preventive policy of the state: religion itself or the activities of numerous religious organizations that have nothing to do with true religion. Equally important is the problem of training law enforcement officers themselves to know the scriptures and use them in practice in their official activities. The purpose of the study is to identify the problems that exist in the use of religious tools in the prevention of recidivism and countering extremism and terrorism, to formulate possible ways to use religious organizations in this and to identify some areas of application of religious knowledge in the activities of law enforcement officers in solving their operational and official tasks. The main task is to analyze the work on the prevention of recidivism and countering extremism and terrorism, publications and judgments on these areas of activity, and the use of religious institutions and canons of representatives of religious organizations in its implementation. The methods of analysis and synthesis were used in the course of the study. For a more complete understanding of the topic, the results of a number of scientific publications, religious literature, federal legislation and departmental orders were compared using historical-legal and formal-legal methods. The use of a combination of these and some other methods allowed us to gain new additional knowledge about the issues and problems of the topic under study, and emphasized the intersectoral nature of the research. As a result, the coincidence of the moral, ethical and moral ideals of modern society with religious beliefs was established. This once again underlines the important importance of the participation of representatives of religious organizations of various faiths who preserve and preach the sacred values of the Holy Scriptures, which may be in demand in preventing the recurrence of crimes and countering extremism and terrorism.