crime and punishment

Question 1

Civil disobedience

Answer 1

The active refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government

Question 2

Definition of crime

Answer 2

An act or omission which is an offence and punishable by law

Question 3

Definition of criminal

Answer 3

One who commits an offence, punishable by law

Question 4

Civil law

Answer 4

Concerns disputes between Private individuals or groups

Question 5

Crimes against the person

Answer 5

Causing direct harm
- assault
- murder
- hate crimes etc.

Question 6

Crimes against property

Answer 6

• burglary
• theft
• trespassing etc

Question 7

Crimes against the state

Answer 7

• Spying
• Terrorism
• Selling state secrets

Question 8

Hate crime

Answer 8

A crime motivated by prejudice on the basis of race, religion or sexual orientation

Question 9

Why do people commit crime?

Answer 9

• Greed
• Hate
• Poverty, may not have an alternative
• Desperation
• Upbringing, may see crime as normal
• Mental illness, may not understand right and wrong, may be vulnerable, may be disturbed
• Addiction, crime can finance addiction
• Opposition to unjust law, sometimes it is the laws that are wrong. Breaking these laws may lead to them being changed

Question 10

Poverty - Pope Francis

Answer 10

• While Christians condemn stealing they are keen to make sure that nobody is so poor that they use poverty as an excuse for stealing
• “Focusing on poverty and sacrificing for the poor are the heart of the gospel. If Christians don’t dig deep and generously open up their wallets, they do not have genuine faith”

Question 11

Prison

Answer 11

• Those who are convicted of more serious crimes lose their liberty through prison sentences
• The most serious crimes are punishable with life sentences although they very rarely serve life

Question 12

Corporal punishment

Answer 12

• An offender is punished by causing them physical pain
• Illegal in the UK

Question 13

Community service

Answer 13

A non-custodial sentence for lesser crimes such as vandalism, benefit fraud etc

Question 14

Advantages of prison

Answer 14

• It can protect the public from dangerous criminals, such as murderers and rapists
• It acts as retribution as the criminal suffers being separated from society and locked in a small room for up to 23 hours a day
• It acts as a deterrent, making people afraid of committing crime
• The existence of prisons helps to vindicate the authority of the law, it shows that crime and punishment is taken seriously
• It can offer a chance of reform as inmates can gain an education or new skills whilst they are in prison to help them when they are released

Question 15

Disadvantages of prison

Answer 15

• Prison is expensive, it costs over £30,000 per year to keep someone in prison
• Many prisoners learn criminal skills or meet other criminals in prison. This can lead to higher rates or re-offence or more serious crimes being committed after release
• British prisons are massively over-crowded, many prisons have twice the number of occupants than they were built to hold. This creates an atmosphere in which criminals are resentful of society and may not wish to fit back in when they are released
• Having a prison record can make it difficult to get a job when they are released, due to social stigma. Sending someone to prison might make it harder for them to turn away from crime
• The children and families of imprisoned criminals suffer the loss of a parent, even though they have done no wrong, this can lead to the end of marriages and so on

Question 16

Christianity quotes on punishment

Answer 16

• “The wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality”
• “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord”

Question 17

Elizabeth Fry 1780-1845

Answer 17

• She was a Quaker who stressed the need for prisoners to be given basic human rights
• Believed the inhumane conditions in prison and the curtesy and neglect of prisoners who were often jailed for very minor crimes was unacceptable
• Introduced ideas such as privacy for prisoners and the need to teach them a trade, and these ideas are still being used today

Question 18

Prison Reform Trust

Answer 18

• An independent UK charity working to create a just, human and effective penal system
• They carry out their task by informing prisoners, staff and the wider public; and by influencing Parliament, government and officials towards reform

Question 19

What are the main objectives of the Prison Reform Trust?

Answer 19

• Reducing unnecessary imprisonment and promoting community solutions to crime
• Improving treatment and conditions for prisoners and their families
• Promoting equality and human rights in the justice system

Question 20

Christian view on corporal punishment

Answer 20

• Christians do not disagree with discipline
• They see a positive need for it, as the quotation from Proverb shows
• “He who spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them”
• However, they may question the method used since Jesus’ teachings on love and caring for people rule out any physical punishment
• Christians focus on positive sanctions to help offenders realise their wrongs and to reform
• They believe that just as Jesus treats people with respect, and Christians believe they should follow his example

Question 21

Christian view on prison

Answer 21

• Christians agree that prison should be used as a punishment for serious crimes
• Many strongly support trying to support prisoners while in prison and are keen to see education and training facilities well used

Question 22

Christian view on community service

Answer 22

• Christians are in general agreement that community service is a suitable punishment for fairly minor offences
• Community service offers offenders a chance to make up for what they have done and receive help in reforming their behaviour
• They believe that the aims of community service are positive and offer a much needed chance to reform

Question 23

Muslim attitudes to prison

Answer 23

• Punishments imposed in the Shari’ah system differ from punishments in the UK
• Muslims agree with the use of prison, but under Shari’ah law prisons have less of a role in reforming the criminal and are normally only used while an offender is awaiting trial or punishment
• Some Muslims may argue that imprisonment may be a far greater penalty that the infliction of pain through corporal punishment
• “serve justice, build a safer society and apply little or no penalty”

Question 24

What is capital punishment?

Answer 24

The legally authorised killing of someone as punishment for a crime (usually murder)

Question 25

The history of the UK death penalty

Answer 25

• In 1957 the British government ruled that only certain types of murder were punishable by hanging
• In 1965 capital punishment was suspended for a 5 year trial
• In 1970 it was permanently abolished

Question 26

Various types of death penalties

Answer 26

• Lethal injections
• Electrocution
• Lethal gas
• Hanging
• Firing squad

Question 27

Quotes about forgiveness

Answer 27

“Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us”
“Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”
“‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.’”

Question 28

What is reconciliation?

Answer 28

When two people or a group of people who have disagreed or fought with each other, make up

Question 29

What is repentance?

Answer 29

It is a commitment to personal change in life and regret for past ways

Question 30

What is mercy?

Answer 30

Forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm

Question 31

What is the message of Luke 17: 3-4?

Answer 31

• Forgiveness is not unconditional
• We should only forgive someone if they show genuine repentance for their ways

Question 32

What is the message of Matthew 18: 23-35?

Answer 32

• Forgiveness is unconditional and there is no maximum number of times a person should be forgiven
• Christians believe that there is no limit to the amount of love God shows to them and they should who to others, so there is no limit to forgiveness

Question 33

What is consequentialism?

Answer 33

The rights or wrongs of an action are decided by the consequences that it produces

Question 34

What is deontology?

Answer 34

Actions are right or wrong in themselves. In other words they are ‘intrinsically’ wrong regardless of the consequences

Question 35

What is the principle of utility?

Answer 35

Suggests that an action is right if it promotes maximum happiness for the maximum number of people affected by it