Crime and Punishment

Question 1

What are the aims of punishment?

Answer 1

Retribution, deterrance and reformation

Question 2

What is retribution

Answer 2

to get your own back

Question 3

What is reformation?

Answer 3

to change someone’s behaviour for the better

Question 4

What is deterrence?

Answer 4

to prevent other people from committing crimes

Question 5

How does Christianity respond to the aims of punishment?

Answer 5

• retribution: an offender should receive a punishment severe enough to match the seriousness of their crime
• deterrance: Years ago, people were punished in public in Britain to deter others eg: flogging is not acceptable to many Christians today because they believe every human should be treated with respect, regardless of what they have done.
• reformation: most Christians prefer this. It helps offenders understand why their behaviour is harming society.

Question 6

How does Buddhism respond to the aims of punishment?

Answer 6

• retribution: a form of violence that contradicts basic ethics. Committing violence against the offender does not wipe away suffering caused by a crime, nor does it encourag the criminal to accept responsibility for their actions and act better in the future
• reformation: a criminal should be encouraged to recognise the suffering they caused and apologse and correct their actions
• deterrance: kamma only seems to go so far. Criminals may lose sight of what happens afterwards. Put in prison to ensure welfare of society.

Question 7

What is capital punishment?

Answer 7

It is a form of punishment in which a prisoner is put to death for the crimes committed.

Question 8

Religious views against capital punishment

Answer 8

Buddhism

• it breaks the first moral precept
• it does not allow the possibility of rehabilitation
• it makes revenge part of the system which is unskilful
• people are sometimes wrongly convicted
• most Buddhists disagree with the principle of utility, because Buddhism teaches it is not possible to create happiness by making other people suffer
• it encourages vengeance and cruelty, which expresses hatred (one of the three poisons)
• Thailand, a Buddhist country, legally allows capital punishment for more than 30 crimes, including drug trafficking. Shows that Buddhist ethics do not necessarily impact on government policy.

Question 9

Religious views for Capital punishment

Answer 9

• some people argue for the death penalty due to the principle of utility (the best action is the one that creates the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people)
• this could be applied to the death pentalty- arguing only the criminal suffers, while the victim’s family and friends and any future victims are happier
• Those who agree with the death penalty tend to use teachings from the Old Testament to support their views

Question 10

What are reasons for different types of crime?

Answer 10

• poverty: welfare payments should cover living expenses but sometimes, for whatever reason, they do not
• upbringing- growing up in a household where crime is a way of life may encourage a young person to follow the example of people they live with
• addiction: Addiction to drugs means that the humans body cannot cope without them. May resort to stealing. Alcohol causes the most crime
• greed: In the UK, personal possessions and wealth are seen as a sign of status. It can lead to crime, especially theft and fraud
• opposition to an unjust law: people have deliberately broken laws which they consider to be unjust.
• mental illness- does not often lead to crime
• hate: can lead to violence/aggression towards whoever the offender hates.

Question 11

What are Christian attitudes to suffering and causing others to suffer?

Answer 11

• Christians believe they should try to help others who are suffering
• Christians believe they should follow the example of Jesus, who helped many whom he saw were suffering, and who taught that those who believe in God should help those that suffer
• Charleston Church shooting- 9 people were killed by Dylann Roof- relatives of the victim forgave him
• Christians are generally opposed to causing others to suffer. Jesus even spoke out against using violence in defence because of the further suffering that retaliation may cause.

Question 12

What are Buddhist views on suffering?

Answer 12

• Buddhism seeks to relieve suffering rather than to increase it
• they believe there will be consequences when a person acts in an unskilful way- principle of kamma
• Buddhists try to show compassion towards victims of crime, to understand the causes of crime, and to develop a constructive response to criminals
• Buddhism considers the practice of confession to be very important. If someone has acted unskilfully, it is important for them to recognise this and try to make amends
• eg: Anguilimala

Question 13

How do Buddhists define actions?

Answer 13

As skilful or unskilful

Question 14

What is a skilful action rooted in?

Answer 14

generosity, kindness and compassion

Question 15

What is an unskilful action rooted in?

Answer 15

selfishness, hatred and ignorance

Question 16

What does the principle of kamma teach is the most important for Buddhists?

Answer 16

the intention that drives an action

Question 17

What do Buddhists believe?

Answer 17

• Buddhists generally believe it is correct to follow the law, but that it is even more important to cultivate skilful actions and abandon unskilful ones.
• There might be circumstances where Buddhists feel compelled to disregard or disobet a law that they consider to be unjust, but probably not in a violent way eg: law that said it was illegal to meditate
• Buddhists would consider it a matter of principle to resist a law that restricted spiritual development

Question 18

What does the Bible say about evil intentions?

Answer 18

The teachings in the Bible warn against having any evil intentions or thoughts.

Question 19

What do Christians believe about actions?

Answer 19

• many Christians believe that even though actions such as adultery are legal, they are still wrong
• actions encouraged or required by genuine religious faiths are considered to be good
• evil is linked with the devil who is the source of all that is considered evil. However, when Christians speak about evil criminal actions, they usually mean that the offence is profoundly immoral and wicked rather than directly linked the the devil
• Christians generally consider crimes involving violence against people as sinful and against God.

Question 20

What is a Christian response to an evil person?

Answer 20

• many Christians claim that there is no such thing
• the belief that original sin derived from the disobedience of Adam and Eva means all humans have a tendency to do things that are evil even though they are not evil in themselves
• If God created people to be good, they are unlikely to do something unspeakably awful unless there was a specific reason eg: psychological illness
• therefore, they should receive treatment for their illness while being punished for their actions

Question 21

What are Buddhist views on crime?

Answer 21

• Buddhism recognises that various factors influence criminal activity, and that it is not simply a question of people being ‘bad’
• While Buddhism might condemn the crime, it would not condemn the criminal and would recognise that there were complex reasons and various outside influences that led the person to commit a crime
• this does not mean that criminals are free of responsibility for their actions

Question 22

What are Buddhist attitudes to poverty?

Answer 22

• while poverty in itself is not a motive for crime, Buddhist scriptures make it clear that poverty is one of the underlying drivers of crime
• a quotation from the Digha Nikaya indicates that if people do not have basic necesseties, crime is likely to follow
• while breaking the law for these reasons is understandable, it is still likely to cause harm to others
• For Buddhists, stealing contradicts the second moral precept (to abstain from taking what is not freely given)

Question 23

What are Buddhist attitudes on upbringing?

Answer 23

• if a child has a troubled upbringing- eg: violence, addiction or neglect within the family- can affect them negatively and can lead them to crime
• Buddhism recognises that various conditions influences people’s behaviour and values, and in order to live an ethical life, people need supportive conditions that encourage sensitivity to others

Question 24

What are Buddhist attitudes to addiction?

Answer 24

• the fifth moral precept teaches that Buddhists should abstain from taking drugs (including alcohol)
• People who are under the influence of drugs lose their awareness, meaning they are less sensitive to others so are more likely to cause harm.

Question 25

What are Buddhist teachings on greed?

Answer 25

Buddhism teaches that acting out of greed is unskilful and leads to suffering.

Question 26

what do Buddhists believe about hatred?

Answer 26

• According to Buddhism, hatred is one of the three poisons and one of the main causes of suffering
• Buddhists believe it is important not to feel hatred towards others, even when provoked

Question 27

What do Buddhists believe about opposition to an unjust law?

Answer 27

• Buddhists might want to disobey a law that expresses prejudice and hatred, such as a law that supports racial discrimination

Question 28

What are reasons why some people commit crime?

Answer 28

• poverty
• upbringing
• opposition to an unjust law
• hate
• greed
• addiction
• mental illness
• upbringing

Question 29

What do Christians believe about the reasons why some people commit crimes?

Answer 29

• As far as Christians are concerned, there is rarely any justification for committing crimes, especially as they believe that God has put lawmaking authorities in place
• they also believe that laws are important for keeping order in society so that people may live in peace.
• Christians may refer to Romans 13:1 to justify their beliefs

Question 30

What are Christian attitudes to poverty?

Answer 30

• Whilst most Christians condemn stealing they are keen to make sure that nobody is so poor that they use poverty as an excuse for stealing.
• eg: June 2015, Pope Francis quote
• Christians support food banks and may campaigns for the living wage and to improve public services

Question 31

What are Christian attitudes to addiction?

Answer 31

• Most denominations of Christianity do not forbid drinking alcohol, but for Catholics, drunkeness is a sin, and no denomination encourages excessive drinking
• They support rehabilitation as a way of defeatng the addiction
• against taking illegal drugs

Question 32

What are Christian attitudes to greed?

Answer 32

• In the Ten Commandments, Christians are taught not to covet, which means they should not be jealous of what somebody else has, and envy is one of the seven deadly sins.

Question 33

What are Christian attitudes to lawbreakers?

Answer 33

• Christians believe in general, laws protect citizens and should therefore be respected
• There are some laws that a Christian might consider to be morally wrong, so they might challenge it
• some Christians believe a punishment should be as severe as the crime committed
• others believe they should be helped in order to not reoffend.
• Lawbreakers have rights and these should be protected, even while they are being punished. Christians believe that inhumane treatment of offenders is wrong.
• Most Christians also believe that offenders should be helped to change their ways so they do not reoffend once the punishment is over. In the parable of the sheep and goats, Jesus gave various actions that are pleasing to God, including treating prisoners well.
• This inspires Christians to treat prisoners with compassion and to consider how they may be helped as well as punished for their wrongdoings

Question 34

What are hate crimes

Answer 34

• often violent actions against someone because of how they identify/appearance
• they are considered to be more serious crimes because they are targeted at a person rather than property
• hate crimes make the idea of a society without prejudice or discrimination impossible to achieve
• an example of a very serious hate crime is murder
• it could be well argued that there is no greater harm that can be done than to take a person’s life

Question 35

What are Christian attitudes to hate crimes?

Answer 35

• Christians condemn both hate crimes and murder
• God created all humans with equal value and no individuals or groups should be singled out for inferior treatment from others.
• Jesus taught that all people should ‘love their neighbour’- neighbour means everybody

Question 36

What are Christian attitudes to theft?

Answer 36

• Christians may be understanding of people committing theft out of need rather than greed
• they believe that the needy should be cared for so they have no need to commit crimes
• they teach the Golden Rule ‘Do to others what you want them to do to you.’
• Even though theft is considered to be less serious than hate crimes and murder, it is still wrong.

Question 37

What are Buddhist views about different types of crime?

Answer 37

• For Buddhists, one way in which the seriousness of a crime might be evaluated is through the degree of harm that it causes: the more harm, the worse the action
• however, motivation would also be a significant factor as commiting a crime unintentionally is different to deciding to commit a crime
• it might be possible to commit a crime with a skilful motivation, in which case Buddhism would not consider the action wrong even if the law did.

Question 38

What are Chrstian views on opposition to an unjust law?

Answer 38

• Some Christians may agree with this but only if no violence is involved and nobody gets harmed

Question 39

What are Christian views on upbringing?

Answer 39

• Parents should teach their children the right way to behave through their own words and actions

Question 40

What are Buddhist attitudes to hate crimes?

Answer 40

• hatred is one of the three poisons, and is the direct opposite of the emotions that Buddhists want to cultivate: loving-kindness and compassion
• In Buddhism, there is therefore no justification for acting on the basis of hatred or intolerance
• For Buddhists, the idea that causing harm to others will make someone happier is wrong. A person who acts from hatred causes suffering both for others and for themselves, so nobody wins
• The Buddha encouraged his followers to avoid falling into conflict with others based on differences of religious belief, because he recognised that this led to unskilful speech and even violent behaviour.

Question 41

What are Buddhist attitudes towards theft?

Answer 41

• theft breaks the second moral precept, which is to abstain from taking what has not been freely given
• it strengthens the habit of greed and weakens any tendency towards generosity
• For Buddhists, theft expresses the delusion that people will be happier simply through acquiring something they do not have
• if a person steals something, they will suffer because this undermines the trust that exists between people
• stealing expresses a lack of respect and empathy for others
• if the criminal does not know the person they are stealing from, it may seem as if there is no real victim, but this point of view expresses a lack of awareness, and often disguises a person’s own selfishness
• stealing from a monk, or other revered person may be seen as even more unskilful because it expresses a lack of reverence for the spiritual order of things.

Question 42

What are Buddhist attitudes to murder?

Answer 42

• it clearly contradicts the most basic Buddhist precept, which is not to take life
• traditionally, killing another human being is one of the causes for expulsion from a Buddhist monastery
• some people argue that murdering an ‘evil’ person can be justified in certain situations, particularly if this prevents them from harming or even killing others
• there is a story in the Buddhist scriptures that tells of an incident during a previous life of the Buddha, in which he was a captain of a ship carrying 500 marchants. One of the passengers was a bandit who was planning to kill all other passengers so the Buddha concluded that the most skilful thing to do was to kill the bandit to prevent all of the other people from being harmed
• Murdering someone not only involves inflicting suffering on the victim, but also on their family and friends

Question 43

What is retribution?

Answer 43

To get revenge

Question 44

What are Buddhist attitudes towards retribution

Answer 44

• retribution is a form of violence that contradicts basic ethics of Buddhism
• committing violence against the offender does not wipe away the suffering caused by a crime, nor does it encourage the criminal to accept responsibility for their actions in order to reform
• can lead to further violence
• eg: David Loy
• According to the principle of kamma, a person’s unskilful deeds will cause them to suffer
• there is no need to inflict further suffering on those who have acted badly
• on the other hand, it might be argued that without lawful retribution, people would want to punish the criminals themselves, possibly more seriously than the criminals deserve
• lawful retribution helps to reduce the urge towards vengeance on the part of the victims.

Question 45

What are Buddhist attitudes towards deterrance?

Answer 45

• traditionally, the belief that a person might be reborn in a realm of suffering if they act badly in this life has functioned as a deterrent in Buddhism
• this only goes so far. If criminals are in the grip of greed, hatred and delusion, they can lose sight of what may happen afterwards
• people need to train their minds to imagine the consequences of their actions, many criminals often seem unable to imagine the damage they may cause
• Buddhists might agree that it is important to protect society from certain criminals so may support putting criminals in prison.
• The motive would not be to punish or deter, but to ensure the welfare of society.

Question 46

What are Buddhist attitudes towards reformation?

Answer 46

• According to Buddhism, a criminal should be encouraged to recognise the suffering they have caused and apologise to the victims, perhaps even face-to-face
• it might also be appropriate to do some corrective action, eg: to repair damage caused by vandalism
• the overall aim of a Buddhist approach to justice is to encourage the transformation of the criminal so they begin to act in a more sensitive and responsible way
• this will rehabilitate the criminal in their own eyes, and in the eyes of society and of the victim.
• In addition, the victim may need help to recover from the suffering caused by the crime, and to let go of any anger or resentment towards the criminal.

Question 47

How can suffering be caused?

Answer 47

• by a natural event like a storm, drought or earthquake
• by an illness
• self-inflicted, such as crashing a car into a tree or self-harming
• caused by the behaviour of someone else such as assault, burglary or passive smoking

Question 48

What duty do Christians believe they have?

Answer 48

A duty to help those who are suffering and recognise that good can come from suffering.
eg: Paul

Question 49

What do Christians try to follow in terms of suffering?

Answer 49

• Christians try to follow the example of Jesus who helped many whom he saw were suffering and told his followers to do the same.

Question 50

Why does a loving God allow people to suffer?

Answer 50

• It is wrong to blame God for suffering resulting from what are usually human actions
• God could control people to stop them from doing wrong
• Instead, Christians believe he gave humans free will, the ability to make decisions for themselves
• this does not mean that humans can do whatever they want and whenever. This would certainly not prevent suffering. If anything, it would increase it.
• according to Christians, God has given plenty of guidance about how to use free will responsibly. The teachings and example of Jesus, if followed, would reduce suffering. The role of the law is to give more ‘compulsory guidance’ about the best way to use free will, together with punishments for those who cause suffering by committing crimes.

Question 51

What are Christian attitudes to causing suffering to others?

Answer 51

• Christians are generally opposed to causing others to suffer
• Jesus taught that people should love and respect each other and not even use violence in self-defence because it may increase suffering, not reduce it
• however, this does not always work and on occassions, Christians do cause others to suffer
• Christians are taught to apologise and try to repair the damage they have caused in order to restore relationships afterwards
• eg: Jesus at his arrest- one of his disciples cut off the High Priest’s servant’s ear- Jesus rebuked the disciple and then healed the servant
• Christians try to heal the wrong that has been done and the suffering that has been caused in whatever way they can.

Question 52

What are the three forms of punishment?

Answer 52

prison, corporal punishment and community service

Question 53

What is corporal punishment?

Answer 53

Punishment causing physical pain

Question 54

What are Christian beliefs and attitudes to the treatment of criminals?

Answer 54

compassionate

Question 55

What are features of prison?

Answer 55

• punishment is loss of liberty
• for serious crimes
• no real choice about how to spend their time- everything is controlled for them
• locked in cells, fed and allowed excercise and interaction with other prisoners at set times
• Prisoners work in the prison for very little money or take part in training or education programmes

Question 56

What are Christian views on prison?

Answer 56

• Many Christians believe that prisoners should be treated well when in prison and are keen to support them to make their time in prison useful by encouraging positive activity
• they believe it is important that conditions within prison are humane and civilised

Question 57

What are features of corporal punishment?

Answer 57

• punishes offenders by inflicting physical pain
• illegal in the UK and many other countries
• punishments often take place in public
• considered to be a breach of human rights laws

Question 58

What are Christian views on corporal punishment?

Answer 58

• Most Christians do not support corporal punishment

- it does not seek to reform an offender, so can be seen as a negative and harmful punishment

Question 59

What are features of community service?

Answer 59

• includes work in the community, such as cleaning graffiti off buildings or clearing wasteland
• considered to be a punishment for minor offences, such as vandalism or benefit fraud
• gives offenders the chance to make up for what they have done and reform
• it can include treatment for addiction or medical conditions, counselling or educational opportunities.

Question 60

What are christian views about community service?

Answer 60

• Christians agree with community service for offenders who they think may benefit
• it allows them to make up for what they have done wrong (reparation), deters them from committing offences in the future and reforms them by making them realise the consequences of their actions
• no harm is done to the offender and it is hoped that the experience is positive.

Question 61

What are Buddhist attitudes towards prison?

Answer 61

• For Buddhists, the primary purpose for putting someone in prison is to protect society from them
• eg: it is irresponsible to allow a serial killer to live freely in society
• a further reason for using prison might be to give the criminal time and space to reflect on their actions and so rehabilitate themselves.

Question 62

What are Buddhist responses to corporal punishment?

Answer 62

• For Buddhists, it expresses violence, and is likely to encourage resentment rather than reformation
• it does not solve the underlying motives for crime

Question 63

What are Buddhist attitudes to community service?

Answer 63

• most Buddhists approve of community service that helps to rehabilitate the criminal
• for this to work, the community service needs to address their crime directly, and help them to recognise its negative impacts
• community service that directly addresses the needs of the victim might be more effective

Question 64

When was the death penalty banned in the UK?

Answer 64

1969

Question 65

What are Buddhist attitudes towards the death penalty?

Answer 65

• most Buddhists are against the death penalty
• it breaks the first moral precept
• it does not allow the possibility of rehabilitation
• it makes revenge part of the system which is unskilful
• people are sometimes wrongly convicted
• most Buddhists disagree with the principle of utility, because Buddhism teaches that it is not possible to create happiness by making other people suffer. It encourages vengeance and cruely which expresses hatred (one of the three poisons).
• Thailand, a Buddhist country, legally allows capital punishment for more than 30 crimes. This shows that Buddhist ethics don’t necessarily impact on government policy

Question 66

What is the principle of utility?

Answer 66

It is a philosophical idea than an action is right if it promotes maximum happiness for the maximum number of people affected by it.

Question 67

Why do some people argue for the death penalty?

Answer 67

due to the principle of utility.

Question 68

What are Christian attitudes to forgiveness?

Answer 68

• forgiveness is a key belief in Christianity and one that Jesus showed in his actions and taught to his followers
• forgiveness exists outside the legal system of crime and punishment, so had no effect on deciding someone is innocent or guilty, nor on sentencing
• Christians believe that God expects them to show forgiveness to others, no matter what they may have done. In turn, they believe that God will forgive them for any sins they may commit which is emphasised in the Lord’s Prayer.

Question 68

What are Christian attitudes to forgiveness?

Answer 68

• forgiveness is a key belief in Christianity and one that Jesus showed in his actions and taught to his followers
• forgiveness exists outside the legal system of crime and punishment, so had no effect on deciding someone is innocent or guilty, nor on sentencing
• Christians believe that God expects them to show forgiveness to others, no matter what they may have done. In turn, they believe that God will forgive them for any sins they may commit which is emphasised in the Lord’s Prayer.
• Christian- people who commit crimes should be forgiven as far as possible but that the offender should be punished to ensure that justice is done.
• If the aim of the punishment is to reform, the punishment should benefit the offender