Crime and Punishment Flashcards
Conscience
The voice in our heads that tells us right from wrong.
Evil
An act which is very wicked or immoral.
Forgiveness
Letting go of anger towards someone for a wrong they have done you.
Justice
A belief in what is right and fair.
Law and order
Rules of our society and how they are enforced.
Morality
A person’s or religion’s beliefs of what is right and wrong in behavior and action.
Sin
An act which goes against God’s will; a religious offense.
Suffering
A feeling of pain, distress, or hardship caused by the actions of others when they commit a crime.
What are the three types of crime?
Crimes against the person, crimes against property, and crimes against the state.
What are some causes of crime?
Upbringing, mental illness, poverty, addiction, greed/hate, opposition to existing laws.
Deterrence
A harsh punishment that puts off the criminal and others from doing the crime again or in the first place.
Retribution
The idea that punishments should make criminals pay for what they have done wrong.
Reformation
A punishment to try to change the behavior of the criminal - to be able to safely put them back into society.
What are some common aims of punishment?
Protection, vindication, reparation, compensation, deterrence, retribution, and reformation.
Capital Punishment
The death penalty administered officially by the state as punishment for certain crimes.
How many countries still retain capital punishment?
57 countries have it but only 21 regularly use it. Amnesty International is campaigning against it because it violates two human rights.
What are some non-religious arguments against capital punishment?
Retribution is uncivilized, most murders are ‘spur of the moment’ so it wouldn’t deter, killing a murderer doesn’t end the pain of loss for the victim’s family, it makes executioners seem as bad as criminals, executing terrorists would make them martyrs, innocent people can be executed after an unfair trial, and it is inhumane to put anyone through death row.