RS Unit 3 - Crime and Punishment

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  • Created by: T999
  • Created on: 22-05-17 13:12

Different Types of Crime

Crimes against a person -crime that physically and/or mentally harms another person

e.g. murder, ****, mugging, assault and slander

Crimes against property - a crime that damages someones else'se propertythese include vandalism, theft, trespassing, arson and shop lifting

Crimes against the State  - a crime that undermines the authority of a government or state     e.g. Terroism, bribery of officials, tax evasion, motoring offences and breaking byelaws.

Crime - an offence that breaks the law and is punishable through the law 

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Why do people commit crimes?

Law - The rules of society put in place by government

Order - the state of peace and harmony in society when the law is followed 

1. Social reasons - peer pressure such as membership of a gang or the need to fit in; some may even disagree with a law and so break it deliberately 

2. Environement - poverty upbringing and where people live can influence some people to commit crimes

3. Psychological reasons - human nature such as being greedy, jealous, or aggressive or pyscoholigcal problems likes sociopaths 

4. Drug addication - Drug addication and  illegal producation, trafficking + sale of drugs  highest cause of crime. Law abiding citizens under influence of alcohol more likely commit crimes based  off impaired judgement. 

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Religious Offences

Religious offence - crime against religion or when religious believer breaks their religious rules (a sin)

Sins are not always crimes, because they don't break society's laws, but sometimes they can be both sins + crimes. 

Religious offences can also be crimes against religious people and stem from religious predjudice.  e.g. damaging holy buildings, theft of religious artefacts. 

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Aims of Punishment

deterrence - to put people off committing crimes

protection - to keep public safe from dangerous criminials 

reformation - to change a criminals behaviour for the good

reparation - to make up for a crime committed 

retribution - to get revenge on a criminal 

vindication - to ensure that the law is respected 

Aims of punishment - the reasons why criminals are punished for breaking the law: deterrence, protection, reformation, reparation, retribution and vindication.

Criminal - a person who breaks the law.

Punishment - consquence of being found guilty of a crime

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Strength and Weakness of Deterrence and Protection

Deterrence 

+ Puts people off reoffending 

+ Stops people committing a crime

-Many offender don't think about the consquences of their action

-People who decide to commit a crime do not think they will get caught  

Protection

+ Keep people safe from dangerous offenders 

+ Prevent property from being damaged

-  Parole and early mean some dangerous offenders are let  out

- All crimes hurt someone + you can't lock up every criminal 

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Definition and Parole and Early Release

Parole - releasing a prisoner early from prison because they have because they have behaved well and accepted responsibility for their crimes 

Early release - criminals who have not completed their prison sentence are let out early without meeting the requirements for parole. 

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Strength and Weakness of Reparation and Reparation

Reparation 

+ Offenders can help make up for what they have done 

+ Victims receive some compensation for their loss

- Things like community service are not seen as proper punishments

- Money doesn't make up for the physical and emotional harm the victom has to live with

Reformation

+ Helps offenders understand the effect 

+ Helps offenders to live an honest lifestyle  

- Some people see this as 'soft sentencing'  

-Criminals get 'rewarded' for their crime with training programmes, support services, etc. 

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Strength and Weakness of Retribution and Vindicati

Retribution 

+ Offenders get what they deserve for their crimes 

+ Society takes revenge on behalf of victim, makes things even

-Severe sentences have been imposed on innocent people 

-No punishment can ever make up for the harm done to many victims  

Vindication 

+The law works because people are punished for breaking it 

+People respect the law

-Some laws are trivial and out of date

-Some offenders really need help,not punishment

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Law and Order

Order - the state of peace and harmony in society when the law is followed

Justice - bringing about fairness, putting right a wrong action.

Law and order when some does wrong they get punished with a fair and suitable crime according to the punishment severity. 

Religious attitudes to Law and Order

- Teach importance of respecting law and following rules of society,

-Encourage believers to challenge unjust laws and defend those who are persecuted or unfairly treated. Support idea that offenders need punishment suitable to crimes. Some believe severe penalities to achieve justice and reparation, not retrubution for main aim.

- Encourage offendors to take responsibility for their action. There is a duty to punish offenders but also help them admit to and repent for their actions. 

-Encourage forgiveness because all people are capable of making mistakes and have ability to change. Many religious believers see reformation as most important aim. 

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Key terms for Law and Order

Responsibility - having duty to care for someone or something

Duty - moral or legal obligation to do right thing

Forgiveness - Showing mercy, compassion; accepting someone even if they have done wrong

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Religions and Human Nature

- Human life is valuable

-All people have conscience 

-People are sometimes driven by selfish needs

-People need moral codes to guide them in making decisions

Conscience - inner voice telling person they are doing right or wrong

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Different Types of Punishment

Community service - punishment requiring a person to do unpaid work in community

Fine - requirement for criminal to pay sum of money as punishment 

Imprisonment - locking someone up in prison for crimes committed

Prison - government insitution used to lock up some convicted criminals 

Probation - alternative to prison where offenders moniterd by probation offier to ensure not offending.

Tagging - use of electronic monitoring devie to track movements of an offender who has been allowed to return to community

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How offenders are punished - Prison

custodial sentence - lock people up

non custodial sentence - alternative to prison

Prison 

+Protects public 

+punishes offender

+Offenders learn how to behave responsibly in society

-Expensive form of punishment 

-Puts like minded people together

-Can encourage more crime

-Prisons too overcrowded to effectively reform criminals 

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How offenders are punished - High Security psychia

High Security psychiatric hospitals

+Protect public from dangerous offendors

+Provide proper care for criminals who are mentally ill

+Removes risk of reoffending sicnce offendors cnanot be released unless they are well

-Very expensive 

-Not seen as punishment 

-Person releaded needs to continue being treated or may re-offend

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How offenders are punished -Young Offender Institu

Young Offender Insitutions 

+Focus on education + training 

+Teach young people skills and responsbility 

+Promotes self discipline 

-Serious crimes not suitably punished

-No female youth offender insitutes so they go to special units attached to womens prisons

-Can be long way from family

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Alternatives to Prison

ASBO, community service, electronic taggin, curfew,fines, probation, restorative justic, corporal punishment.

+Costs less than imprisonment

+Not all crimes deserve or need offender to be locked up

+Criminal pays back to society in a postive way

+Criminals freedom is curtailed 

+Offenders learn value of freedom

+Monitors offenders behaviour

+Can be quickly adminstrated

 -Don't always work, Sometimes seen as soft punishing and Some offenders see them as a 'badge of honour'

-Corporal punishment can leave offendeers disabled for life

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Religious Attitudes to Young Offenders

Young offender - a person under the age of eighteen who has committed a criminal offence.

-Religious believers believe that because of their age they should be treated differently.

-When sentecing them emphasis is placed on restroatice justice and reforming them.

-Religions teach young people should be guided and supported; they should be taught how to lie a moral life.

-Punishment for correction is allowed, but should be proportaitonal and promote repentence not adminstrated as retribution.

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Capital Punishment FOR

Capital punishmet - the death penalty, legal execution of a criminal for the crime they were found guilty of committing. 

Arguments for death penalty:

- Retribution served by 'life for life'

-Deterrence against crimes like terrorism and murder

-Victims and families receive justice

-Life sentences don't mean life any more

-Natural law, life sentence has been used for centuries

-Protection: dangerous criminals never re-offend

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Capital Punishment AGAINST

Against

Retribution is inhumane; two wrongs don't make a right

Mistakes are made; innocent people get executed

Executing terrorists makes them martyrs 

Most murders are spontaneous, therefore it is not a deterrent 

Inhumane and degrading to imprison someone for years and execute them

Killing the offender doesn't lessen the pain felt by victims and their families

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Religious Attitudes to Death Penalty

Matter of conscience

Want it abolished as believe we should support equal treatment of all people including offenders.

Turn to religious teachings

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Religious Teachings on Crime and Punishment

Christianty 

'if your brother sins, rebuke him, if he repents forgive him' - new testament 

'forgive your brother seventy times seven' - Jesus -christians should always forgive

Parable of the produigal son teaches to rejoice and forgive when a sinner repents 

'Forgive us our trespass against us' - Lords prayer 

'submit to the authories who serve at God's will ' -St Paul

Islam 

'Diya (blood money) can be accepted as reparation by the victim'

We ordained for them, life for life - Qu'ran

As to the thief cut off their hand a punishment by way of example - Qu'ran

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