Crime

Question 1

Environmental causes of crime

Answer 1

• ACEs
• underdeveloped or incorrectly developed conscience
• poverty

Question 2

Psychological causes of crime

Answer 2

• criminal gene
• Head trauma/injury
• mental illness

Question 3

Moral issues arising from upbringing as a cause of crime

Answer 3

• criminal not at fault as victim of negative upbringing
• upbringing not an excuse as everyone has opportunity to make the right or wrong decision

Question 4

What is deterrence

Answer 4

The use of punishment as a threat to deter or discourage people from offending or coming a crime.

Question 5

Benefits of deterrence

Answer 5

• people avoid committing crime if they know what will happen to them
  Deterrence comes before crime and thus stops damage from occurring

Question 6

Drawbacks of deterrence

Answer 6

• crimes committed in ‘heat of moment’
• doesn’t work for hardened criminals, punishment part of job
• no less crime in countries where punishments are severe and long than others were punishments less severe

Question 7

Case study - deterrence

Answer 7

Iranian authorities amputee the hand of 34 year old, a.kh who was convicted of theft

Question 8

Christian response to deterrence

Answer 8

• shouldn’t use people as scapegoats as everyone entitled to fair treatment, even the criminal.
• we aren’t taking into account
  individual circumstances. The deterrent may work for someone stealing but not someone starving.
• all instances of deterrence will fail if crime committed in moment of madness

Question 9

Humanist response to deterrence

Answer 9

• see value of deterrence but deterrent value of punishment has to be balanced.
• can’t punish someone so harshly just so punishment is deterrent to others