Crime And Punishment Flashcards
Christians for (drugs and) alcohol
- The Wedding at Cana
‘The master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine’ - The Last Supper
‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood’ - St Pauls tells Timothy to drink wine for digestion
‘Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illness’ - Alcohol is a symbol of a blessing in the Old Testament
‘A jar of wine vinegar was there… and lifter it to Jesus’ lips… with that he bowed his head and gave up his spirit’
Christians against drugs and alcohol
- The Salvation Army
Very religious, ‘Alcohol, tobacco and other addictive drugs can be harmful… the SA freely and willingly refrain from the use of these substances in their own lives’ - The Temple of the Holy Spirit
‘Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit’ - Greig House, London
Rehabilitation centre run by SA, ‘we provide a quality, holistic service, respecting the rights of individuals and supporting them to achieve’ - Causes harm to society and Christians wouldn’t want this
Muslims against drugs and alcohol
- Taking drugs and alcohol is ‘haram’ so totally forbidden as Allah owns bodies and only He has the right to harm them
- Teaching of the Qur’an
‘Satan stirs up hatred among you by means of wine and gambling… will you not abstain from them’ - Teachings of Muhammad
‘Alcohol is not a medicine, but a disease’ - Causes harm to society
Antisocial behaviour- Promiscuity, violence, etc
Why does the UK have drug and alcohol laws
- Current laws stop younger people drinking to prevent damage of cognitive development
‘Alcohol consumption can have a detrimental effect on young people’s short term educational performance’ - Prevents further drug use as there are penalties when you’re found in possession- Selling class a drugs= life imprisonment
- Have a detrimental effect on people’s health
Cannabis lowers IQ by 8 points and brings antisocial behaviour - 33,000 die already from drugs and alcohol
Drugs and alcohol should be illegal
- Causes harm to society, antisocial behaviour e.g. vandalism
- Body belongs to God, should be respected ‘Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit’
Drugs and alcohol shouldn’t be illegal
- Prohibition in the U.S.A lead to a massive surge in alcoholism and alcohol related crimes e.g. gangs supplying ‘speakeasies’
- Would be religiously intolerant because wine is important in church service- included in communion
Sin/Crime?
Sin is an action against the law of God
Crime is an action against ‘the law of the land’
What do laws do?
- Govern human relationships and society
- Made by parliament, enforced by police, governed by courts
- Forces people to take responsibility for their own behaviour
How are laws made in the UK?
- First reading- bill is debated in House of Commons
- Second reading- debated in Parliament
- Committee go over it in detail
- Third reading- debated again and vote is taken, passed to the House of Lords
- House of Lord debate and vote
- Sent to Queen and Royal Assent
- Is passed it becomes an act of Parliament and a law
Justice is important to Christians
- Bible says it believes in retribution, ‘life for life, eye for eye’
- God is just and expects Christians to act with the same compassion’ Golden Rule
- Jesus fought against injustice, turning of the tables, and taught love overcomes injustice, retribution is wrong
- Many Christians but their belief into practise with charity work
Justice is important to Muslims
- Zakah, Muslims share 25% of their income with the less fortunate
- Actively take part in charity work such as campaigning in marches such as ‘Make Poverty History’
- Shari’ah law- Muslims should follow the Qur’an which states ‘believers, conduct yourselves with justice and bear true witness before God’
- Allah created everyone equal and we should respect this and he will punish injustice on the Last Day
Justice is important to Christians
- Bible says it believes in retribution, ‘life for life, eye for eye’
- God is just and expects Christians to act with the same compassion’ Golden Rule
- Jesus fought against injustice, turning of the tables, and taught love overcomes injustice, retribution is wrong
- Many Christians but their belief into practise with charity work
Justice is important to Muslims
- Zakah, Muslims share 25% of their income with the less fortunate
- Actively take part in charity work such as campaigning in marches such as ‘Make Poverty History’
- Shari’ah law- Muslims should follow the Qur’an which states ‘believers, conduct yourselves with justice and bear true witness before God’
- Allah created everyone equal and we should respect this and he will punish injustice on the Last Day
What is Reparation theory
The criminal is made to pay for their crime by doing something for society or the victim of their crime
Pros and cons of Reparation theory
Victim and community gain from wrong doing
Not as harsh so doesn’t prevents reoffending effectively
What is Retribution theory
Punishing a criminal in order to make them pay for their actions
Pros and cons of Retribution theory
Sever crime is less likely to happen if relative punishments are given
There are moral issues with capital punishment
What is Reform theory
Aims to prevent criminals reoffending by offering education and training for them in
Pros and cons of Reform theory
Helps criminals improve lives so they feel they don’t need to commit crimes
May be very expensive and not harsh enough punishment
What is Deterrence theory
Offering a sufficiently harsh punishment in order to prevent people from offending or criminals from reoffending
Pros and cons of Deterrence theory
Can be effective in preventing first time offenders
May not be particularly effective as there are many criminals in prison who committed crimes despite the punishments
What is Protection theory
Punishing a wrong doer in order to prevent harm to society
Pros and cons of protection theory
Creates a safer society with the criminal not being in it
It is difficult to establish the extent to which someone should be punished relative to their crime
Capital punishment can be fair
- Equal punishment ‘eye for an eye’
- People have to pay taxes for others to be in prison
- Takes wrongdoer away from society which protects good people
