Professor of Sociology and Director of the Institute for Studies of Religion

Byron Johnson is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) as well as director of the Program on Prosocial Behavior, both at Baylor University. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, New Jersey. Johnson is currently completing a series of studies for the Department of Justice on the role of religion in prosocial youth behavior. Recent publications examined the impact of faith-based programs on recidivism reduction and prisoner reentry. Johnson is currently completing an evaluation examining academic outcomes among public high school students enrolled in elective courses in comparison with those taking a course on the Bible. Along with other ISR colleagues he is completing a series of groundbreaking Empirical Studies of Values in China. Johnson's research has been used in consultation with the Department of Justice, Department of Defense, Department of Labor, and the National Institutes of Health.