Theme E- Crime & Punishment Flashcards
Evil
Opposite of good, force/ personification of negative power that works against God
Reasons for Crime (6)
- Greed
- Poverty
- Addiction
- Mental illness
- Upbringing
- Hate
Opposition to unjust law
Reasons for Crime: GREED
Wanting something not given voluntarily/ or needed
- TEN COMMANDMENTS: do not covet
- THREE POISONS: greed
Reasons for Crime: POVERTY
Being without money/ basic need of life
- TEN COMMANDMENTS: do not steal
- 2nd MORAL PRECEPT: avoid taking what isn’t freely given
Reason for Crime: ADDICTION
Physical/ mental dependency on a substance
- Against illegal drugs, support rehab, alcohol in moderation
- 5th MORAL PRECEPT: avoid taking intoxicants
Reason for Crime: MENTAL ILLNESS
Medical condition affecting person’s moods/ emotions
- Treating causes is most important
- Distortion leads to suffering on others and themselves
Reasons for Crime: UPBRINGING
Way a child was brought up and influences on them
- Parents should teach children right way to behave
- Supportive conditions to develop sensitivity to others
Reasons for Crime: HATE
Opposite of love
- Jesus taught to ‘love thy neighbour’
- THREE POISONS: hatred
Reason for Crime: OPPOSITION TO UNJUST LAW
Protests against laws against people’s beliefs
- No violence then ok
- May disobey a law that expresses hatred/ prejudice
Aims of Punishment: RETRIBUTION
Get your own back
- ‘…overcome evil with good’ OR ‘eye for an eye’
- ‘we should not… reply to their crimes with other crimes’
Aims of Punishment: DETERRENCE
Put people off committing crime
- Not support excessively harsh punishments, oppose public punishments
- May not work but motive is punishment not protection of society
Aims of Punishment: REFORMATION
Change someone’s behaviour for the better
- Favour it as positive not negative, not as replacement
- Favour it to recognise suffering caused and become more sensitive
Types of Punishments: PRISON
Loss of liberty
- Support, treated well, involved in positive things
- Primary aim to protect society, provide space for rehab
Types of Punishments: CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
Inflicting physical pain
- Do not support, no reform, no respect, harmful
- Expresses violence, encourages resentment
Types of Punishments: COMMUNITY SERVICE
Work in community
- Approve, allows making up for their wrong, deters and realise consequences
- Approve, rehab and addresses impact of crime
Forgiveness
Showing mercy and pardoning someone for the wrong they have done
Free will
Ability of people to make decisions for themselves without constraint
Attitudes to Death Penalty: FOR (Non-Religious) (3)
- Principle of utility
- Justified retribution
- Protects society
Attitudes to Death Penalty: AGAINST (Non- Religious) (4)
- Chance of killing an innocent
- Little evidence for DP being effective
- Not right to take another’s life
- Imprisoning still protects society
Attitudes to Death Penalty: CHRISTIANITY (3)
- Sanctity of Life
- Ezekiel 33:11 teaches reformation not execution
- Some: Jesus: ‘love thy enemy’
- Some: Jesus: ‘eye for an eye’
Attitudes to Death Penalty: BUDDHISM (3)
- 1st Moral Precept & no possibility of reformation
- Makes revenge part of justice system
- Not possible to relieve suffering of victim by making offender suffer
Attitudes to Forgiveness: CHRISTIANITY (4)
- Jesus forgave those who executed him
- No limit to amount of forgiveness shown to someone
- God expects them to show it so He can forgive them
- Forgiveness not a replacement for punishment
Attitudes to Forgiveness: BUDDHISM (3)
- If people don’t forgive, they suffer
- Principle of Karma: forgiving still means consequences
- Bring about reconciliation
Attitudes to Suffering: CHRISTIANITY (3)
- Have a duty to help those suffering- follow example of Jesus
- Try not to cause suffering to others
- Suffering strengthens someone’s character and faith
Attitudes to Suffering: BUDDHISM (3)
- Inevitable part of life
- Must accept it as a part of life
- Try to avoid causing others suffering
