Religious attitudes to Crime and Punishment

Bye-laws; made by elected councillors within a local area, e.g, parking restrictions

Parliamentary laws; made by the government and apply to everyone in the country, e.g, murder

Laws put crime into 2 categories - Non-indictable Offences (minor offences and driving offences) and Indictable Offences (major crimes)

Types of Crime;

• Crimes against property
• Crimes against state
• Crimes against the person
• Crimes against religion (breaking rules set by religion, not part of criminal law)

Causes of Crime;

• Social reasons (people may want to fit in with peers)
• Psychological reasons (deep-rooted problems. Emotions, e.g, Jealousy)
• Environmental reasons (Poverty, Background)
• Drug addition (not thinking straight)

Deterrence; the punishment is meant to be unpleasant so that the offender is deterred or 'put-off' from doing it again.

Protection; Some criminals pose a danger to people and to society in general. They tend to be given prison sentences to protect society from them. 

Retribution; is seen as 'getting even' with the person who has committed the crime. May help the victim/their family overcome their irritation, as the criminal gets punished appropriately

Reformation; people who have committed crimes may require help to understand that their behaviour is unacceptable and they need to change their attitude. 

Vindication; is important because if people did not respect the law, then they would do exactly what they wanted, e.g, if drivers took no notice of traffic lights, there would be chaos.

Reparation; idea behind reparation and restorative justice is that the offender is asked to do something to make up for the crime they have committed, e.g, vandal asked to clean up an area.

Capital Punishment is the correct phrase you are expected to use when you discuss 'The Death Penalty'. It is called 'Capital Punishment' because it is the most serious form of punishment.

An offence or a crime which can carry the death penalty is called a Capital Offence in some countries and might carry the Death Penalty.

• Death Penalty was banned in the UK in 1969 after a 5-year trial.
• Many attempts have been tried in parliament to re-introduce it but they have failed
• 3 people who were executed before the end of the Death Penalty were executed when they shouldn't have been. One of these people was called Derek Bentley and featured in a film.

Pros; less expense, justice for family, protection, eye for an eye

Cons; turn the other cheek, does not stop the victims family mourning, contradiction to say do not murder and then murder, inhumane ways e.g, lethal injections and electric chair

Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people in over 150 countries who campaign to end abuses of human rights.

• have been helping people claim their rights across the world
• from the death penalty to free speech, they protect people's human rights

Christianity; 

• 'Love your neighbour' (Jesus) 
• 'an eye for an eye' 
• Agape = Christian love
• Parable of the lost son/forgive your brother'

Buddhism;

• Metta = loving kindness
• 5 moral precepts, one of them is not to harm any living things
• Should show forgiveness