GENDER, RELIGION AND NEED ASSESSMENT OF OFFENDERS ON PROBATION IN RAWALPINDI

Abstract

This study looked at the connection between need assessment, gender, and religiosity among probationary offenders in Rawalpindi District, Pakistan. The research addressed three objectives, to examine the effect of gender on the need assessment of offenders on probation, to examine the effect of religiosity on the need assessment of offenders on probation; and to examine the combined effect of gender and religiosity on the need assessment scores of offenders on probation. The research design adopted was quantitative cross-sectional research and the data gathering instruments were structured questionnaires which were administered to 100 offenders on probation. The questionnaire included socio-demographic data, the Muslim Religiosity-Personality Inventory (MRPI-A) for an assessment of religiosity along with the Probation Service Assessment Planner (PSAP-25) for assessing rehabilitation needs in four areas (Life Necessities, Relationships, Economic Capital and Personal Factors) and a Gender-Responsive Factors Scale. All instruments had acceptable to excellent internal consistency as shown by reliability analysis. The descriptive statistics showed that the respondents were moderately to highly religious and low to moderately rehabilitative needs. Pearson's correlation and multiple regression analysis were used for inferential analyses. The results showed that gender was not a significant predictor of the offenders' need assessment scores (p = .409), and religiosity was not a significant predictor of need assessment (p = .943) when considered separately. The overall regression model (F (3,96) = 3.048, p = .032) was statistically significant, suggesting that the effect of gender and religiosity combined is significant in explaining offenders' rehabilitation needs. There was an 8.7% variance explained in the need assessment (R² = .087). The study concludes that the influence of gender and religiosity is not the only one affecting the offenders' rehabilitation needs, but also social and economic factors. The findings add to the scant empirical studies conducted in Pakistan and highlight the need for a multi-dimensional assessment of the offenders in its probation process.

Keywords: Intersectionality, Gender, Religiosity, Probation, Need Assessment, Rehabilitation.