YEAR 11 REVISION KEYCARD – Religious attitudes to
matters of life
Essential revision: RELIGIOUS ATTITUDES TO CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
The difference between right and wrong
It is important for society that people are brought up to understand the concept of what is right
and what is wrong. Citizens have a duty and responsibility to be law-abiding or otherwise there
would be chaos, as people would do exactly what they wanted without considering others.
Many religions teach that God has given each person an inner voice that informs them of the
rightness or wrongness of an action before it is carried out.
Non-believers argue that a conscience is a person’s inner sense of what is morally right or wrong.
Without being taught moral standards, the voice of conscience may not bother a person if they
commit a crime
What causes crime?
 Lack of education and qualifications
 Abusive and violent parents/broken homes
 Drug, gambling or alcohol addiction
 Periods of high unemployment
 Gang rivalry
 Those from inadequate housing, overcrowding and a deprived
 Mental illness/psychological problems
 Violence portrayed in films/TV
 Advertising?
background
Types of crime
 Crime against the person (crime is directed against an individual/group of people) e.g.
murder
 Crimes against the state (a country) e.g. selling military documents
 Crimes against property (taking/damaging somebody else’s belongings) e.g. burglary
What are religious offences?
A religious offence is an offence against religion. They may or may not be classified as crime.
Religions have their own sets of laws and rules and breaking them would be seen by members of
that faith as a religious offence or sin (breaking of a religious or moral law) e.g. for Christians
and Jews, the 10th Commandment says ‘You shall not covet (desire) your neighbour’s
house/wife/servant/ox or donkey or anything else that belongs to your neighbour’. This is not a
criminal offence, although believers would regard it as a sin. However, this breaks the 8th
Commandment (‘You shall not steal’) and also the state law.
Another religious offence is blasphemy (illegal in some countries e.g. Pakistan, Afghanistan and
Ireland). Blasphemy includes insulting God or sacred things and the making of images of God.
YEAR 11 REVISION KEYCARD – Religious attitudes to
matters of life
What are the 6 aims of punishment?
Protection – The aim of protection is to keep the public from being harmed, threatened or
injured by criminals
Retribution – is seen as ‘getting even’ (‘an eye for an eye’ - Exodus) with the criminal. It is
getting revenge and giving the criminal what they deserve.
Deterrence - the aim of this is to put people off committing crimes (if they believe they will be
dealt with seriously if caught)
Reformation – the aim of this is to change a criminal’s behaviour for the better e.g. through a
face to face meeting with the victim
Vindication – the aim of this is to show offenders that the law is right and that they must be
punished if they do not respect it
Reparation – the aim of this is to ask the offender to make up for the crime they have
committed e.g. vandal cleaning up an area
Religious responses to the aims of punishment
Christianity
 Most do not support idea of retribution but would support the other aims
 Christians believe the law needs to be upheld (vindication)
 Believe in crime prevention and the need to remove the causes of crime e.g.
unemployment, poverty etc.
 Most believe that the most important aim is to reform criminals and help them
become law abiding citizens. Most Christians believe that offenders should repent
(being truly sorry and try to change) of their wrongdoings and receive both
punishment and forgiveness, so they can have a 2nd chance (once penalty is paid)
‘If your brother sins, rebuke (disapprove/criticise) him and if he repents, forgive
him’ (Luke)
Different forms of punishment
YOUNG OFFENDERS
In Britain, anyone under 18 who has broken the law is classified as a young offender.
How are young offenders treated?
Minor offences
These are dealt with without court involvement e.g. the police can use reprimands, final
warnings, ASBOs or child safety orders. The aim is to prevent further offences and give
support an early age.
YEAR 11 REVISION KEYCARD – Religious attitudes to
matters of life
Serious offences
More serious offences are heard in a youth court (part of the Magistrate’s Court dealing with
under 18s). If found guilty, they may be fined, given a reparation order (repair the damage
created) or receive a curfew (have to be home by a certain time).
The most serious cases are heard in a Crown Court and the young person is held in custody. If
found guilty, they will be sent to one of the following secure accommodations:
 Secure training centres are purpose built centres for young offenders and they have a
focus on education and rehabilitation
 Secure children’s homes are run by the local authority social services department and
focus on attending to the physical, emotional and behavioural needs of the young people
they accommodate
 Young offender institutions are run by the Prison Service and accommodate 15 to 21
year olds. Those under 18 are held in separate juvenile wings
Prisons
Advantages
 To protect society from dangerous and violent criminals
 Prison acts as a deterrent to others and ensures that the law is respected (vindication)
 Prison stops people reoffending because they are locked away
 It gives offenders a chance to reflect on their actions and decide to change
 To isolate those who deserve such punishment from their family and friends (retribution)
Disadvantages
 Prisons often breed resentment, bitterness and a determination to get back at society
 Prison is expensive, costing the taxpayer about £30,000/year to keep someone
 The majority of prisoners (70%) reoffend on release, demonstrating that the system
does not work
 A prison record makes it very difficult to get a job when released, which may lead a
person back into crime
 Prisoners can educate one another in crime while inside
 Children are deprived of a parent through no fault of their own
 Relationships often break down while a person is in prison
YEAR 11 REVISION KEYCARD – Religious attitudes to
matters of life
Religious attitudes towards prison
 All major religions accept the need for prisons.
 It is seen as necessary to deprive offenders of their freedom and prevent them
continuing a life of crime.
 Religions support the idea of seeking to reform offenders, so that on release they
become responsible and law-abiding members of society. They support the idea of
constructive work and education, so that inmates can learn worthwhile skills. They also
support medical programmes to help prisoners overcome drug or alcohol addiction.
 Christians have been actively involved in prison reform (making sure that prisoners are
treated humanely). Buddhist, Muslim and Christian chaplains regularly visit inmates and
help prisoners’ families. Christians may be influenced by the parable of the lost sheep?
Capital Punishment (the death penalty)
Arguments for
 Retribution – Terrorists and murderers deserve to die (a ‘life for a life’)
 Deterrence – The death penalty deters people from doing horrendous crimes because
they know if they are caught they will die
 Protection – The public needs to be protected. However, those given a life sentence are
often let out of prison after about 15 years
 Finance – It costs taxpayers thousands of pounds to keep murderers alive in prison
Arguments against
 Mistakes – Innocent people have been executed
 Protection – Putting a murderer in prison protects society
 Deterrence – There is no evidence that the death penalty is more of a deterrent than life
imprisonment
 Reformation – Reformed criminals can be an enormous influence for good
 Right – Only God has the right to end a person’s life
Religious beliefs about capital punishment
 Some Christians support capital punishment (‘Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man
shall his blood be shed’ – Genesis). They see the threat of the death penalty as a
deterrent that helps to prevent serious crime e.g. in the USA, many Christians support
the use of lethal injections and the electric chair.
 However, some Christians doubt whether capital punishment is a deterrent and
oppose it because an innocent person may be executed and it removes the
possibility of repentance. They believe that only God can take life away.
 There is no single Buddhist policy on capital punishment. The death penalty goes against
‘I undertake to abstain from taking life’, the First Precept, and Buddhist teaching on nonviolence and compassion. However, some countries where Buddhism is the main religion e.g.
Thailand, have the death penalty as a deterrent.
YEAR 11 REVISION KEYCARD – Religious attitudes to
matters of life
Forms of punishment
 COMMUNITY SERVICE: This is for offenders who have committed crimes for which they
could be sent to prison for months rather than years. The aim is to combine punishment
with changing offenders’ behaviour and making amends to the community.
Advantages: Far cheaper than prison (1/10th of cost); less contact with other criminals
and much greater success rate in reforming the offender than prison
Disadvantages: Seen by some as a soft option and criminals may continue to break the law
while doing community service
 ELECTRONIC TAGGING: Prisoners serving between 3-4 months can be released early as
long as they are electronically tagged (tracks their movement). They will often be given a
curfew (time from which they must remain at home until the next day).
Advantages: Far cheaper than prison, costing approx. £2,000/year; stopping sex
offenders from going within 100 yards of a school or park; only 2% of offenders have
committed more crimes while being tagged
 FINES
Fines may be used by courts for a wide variety of offences
 PROBATION
Sometimes offenders are given suspended sentences, which means that if they get into
trouble again within a specified time they will go to prison. A probation officer will give
them advice and help them obey the law on a weekly basis.
Advantages: Offenders can continue working; they still have their freedom, family and
friends and receive support to help them reform
 PAROLE
This is when a prisoner is released without having completed their sentence because they
have behaved well and accepted their guilt.
Advantage: The offender gets a second chance and an opportunity to become law abiding
Disadvantages: The victim of the original crime might feel this is unfair; although the
offender has shown good behaviour in prison, this doesn’t mean he/she will on the outside
and may reoffend
 LIFE IMPRISONMENT: A prison sentence that (theoretically) keeps people in prison
until they die. However, the average sentence is about 15 years before the criminal
becomes eligible for parole.
Advantage: The prospect of release does give hope to prisoner and reduces bad
psychological impacts on them
Disadvantage: Victims and their relatives might not be happy that for example, a
convicted murderer will one day be released
YEAR 11 REVISION KEYCARD – Religious attitudes to
matters of life
 EARLY RELEASE: When a prisoner is allowed out of prison early for demonstrating good
behaviour, having repented and convinced the authorities they have reformed or when
they
have to
not completed their full sentence, or fulfilled the criteria for getting parole
Are trying
(prison may be overcrowded).
Advantage: The offender gets a second chance and an opportunity to become law abiding
Disadvantages: The victim of the original crime might feel this is unfair and may
reoffend
 PRISON REFORM: There are several organisations e.g. Prison Reform Trust which are
trying to improve conditions for prisoners. They feel that overcrowded prisons do not
help prisoners reform and think that prisons should just be for the worst offenders,
rather than for those who commit minor offences or who have mental problems.
Some people disagree with giving prisoners better conditions because they say prisons
will become like holiday camps and will no longer be a deterrent to crime. Hindus
encourage education and meditation as a way of repairing the minds of lawbreakers. Some
argue that families of those in prison also need more support.