Crime and Punishment

For your exam you need to know:

The need for law and justice.
Theories of punishment and the arguments for and against
them.
Why justice is important for Christians and Muslims.
The nature of capital punishment and non-religious
arguments about capital punishment.
Different attitudes to capital punishment among Christians
and Muslims and the reasons for them.
Laws on drugs and alcohol and the reasons for them.
Social and health problems caused by drugs and alcohol.
Different attitudes to drugs and alcohol in Christianity and
Muslims and the reasons for them.

Write down the meaning of these keywords

Sin
An act against the will of God
Crime
An action against the criminal law
Reform
Using punishment to help people not to offend again and so become law
abiding citizens
Deterrence
Making punishments so severe that people will be put off committing crimes
Retribution
Using punishment to make criminals suffer and pay for the wrong they have
done
Justice
due allocation of reward and punishment/the maintenance of what is right

Addiction
a recurring compulsion to engage in an activity regardless of its
bad effects
Capital punishment
death penalty for a crime or offence
Judgement
the act of judging people and their actions
Law
rules made by Parliament and enforceable by the courts
Rehabilitation
restore to normal life
Responsibility
being responsible for ones actions

So people know how to

act towards each other

Laws allow people

to feel safe and
secure

To protect the weak from the

strong and to allow people to live in
safety and order

But are there times when laws need to be

broken?
Reasons why are
What about laws
whenneeded
it is an emergency?
What about when some laws are unfair?

With out laws people

could murder and steal
without fear

To keep
control of
society and
avoid
chaos and
accidents
e.g
speeding

Why we need justice

Justice means that fairness happens to all. If someone does
something wrong it means that they and the rest of society are treated
fairly.
If the law was unfair to society then people may break it (this
happened when Poll Tax was introduced in the 80s/90s).
If punishments are unfair by being too lenient then it can lead to
vigilantism people take the law in to their own hands which is unfair
as it often goes too far.

Christian Attitudes to Justice

Remember, justice means being fair and treating people
equally is of utmost importance to both Christians and Muslims
Jesus taught that people should
act in a just way towards each
other because God is just. If you
want to be treated fairly, you
must act that way too. People
should love thy neighbour

The Bible teaches what is

fair: The Old Testament
says an eye for an
eye which shows that
punishment shouldnt be
more than the crime

The Bible teaches that God is just.

He will reward the good and will
punish those who are unjust.
In the Bible Jesus taught
the parable of the sheep
and goats which says that
God expects everyone to
be treated fairly, regardless
of what theyve done
(prisoners should be visited
and cared for).
Jesus worked for equality, and
often was revolutionary. He
said that eye for an eye was
old school and instead people
should fight injustice with love

One way which Christians work for justice in the world is through the organisation
Christian Aid. They work in some of the poorest places in the world, with
Christians AND non-Christians because they believe that they must work for
equality for all. They do it because of the reasons given on the previous slide.
Some of the things they do are:

Support sustainable development so that all people have a basic standard of

living e.g. drill wells for clean water, help irrigate crops

They work to ensure that people are treated fairly by their governments e.g. in
Bolivia they support farmers whose land has been taken off them without
compensation

They build factories which manufacture basic drugs in countries who cant afford
to import the most basic of medicines for their people.

They campaign for people to receive fair trials, regardless of what they are
accused of

Why Muslims should work for

Justice:
The fear of punishment
in the afterlife
Allah is just and He will
reward those who are good
and punish those who are
evil on the Day of
Judgement to make it fair

Shariah Law
According to Shariah law
(Islamic law) punishment
must be only handed out
when in the right frame
of mind e.g. not angry or
distracted. It must be fair to
the accused as well as the
victim.

5 Pillars
Justice is the basis of the 5 Pillars of Islam
(especially zakah where richer Muslims give
2.5% of their income to poorer ones) . In fact if
a Muslim has savings, the interest earned on
them is given to the poor as they are taught that
the rich should help the poor, not just make
themselves even richer.

Quran
The Quran
teaches that
Allah and
Muhammad
acted with
justice and so
Muslims
should follow
their example.

The Theory of punishment

What some people think punishments should be about
Deterrence

Retribution

If we punish harshly enough, it

will put other people off doing
the same crime

It should be about making

someone pay for what
they have done, and be
seen by others to be
punished

Reparation

Purposes of punishment

Using punishment to allow a

criminal to make right their
wrong to their victim or to
society. Community service is
an example of this

Reform
Punishment should be about trying to make a
person realised that what they did was wrong
and make them never want to do it again

Protection
Prison etc takes the
dangerous people out of
society and so keeps
everyone else safe

But what are the problems with these

theories behind punishing?
Deterrence

Retribution

Some crimes are in the heat of

the moment, so the
consequences are not thought
about

But does this work as well

for someone who assists
someone with voluntary
euthanasia?

Reparation

Purposes of punishment

How can a murderer or drink

driver make amends to their
victims family?

Reform
How can you tell if someone is reformed? Will
society be happy in using tax payers money to
pay for a criminal to be retrained as a plumber
etc?

Protection
Not all crimes are dangerous
to the safety of others so
this wouldnt always work
e.g a debtor

Punishment Christians believe:

the purpose of punishment is reform
and prisoners should be helped do this
Those punished should be treated properly.
Elizabeth Fry campaigned in the 1800s for
better conditions for prisoners e.g. medical
attention and education
All punishment should be fair and people should
be treated well in order to be rewarded by God,
as told in the parable of the sheep and the
goats

Test yourself
1. Give 3 theories of punishment
2. Give an advantage and disadvantage of
reform
3. Give 2 reasons why laws are needed
4. Give 2 reasons why justice is important
to Christians
5. Give 2 reasons why justice is important
to Muslims

Non-Religious Arguments about Capital Punishment:

For:
The death penalty is a deterrent
for those thinking about
committing a serious crime
It means society can rid itself of
dangerous people so they cant
be a treat again
It is cheaper than keeping
someone in prison for life
It is a fair punishment for those
who commit the most
horrendous crimes

Against:
There have been many cases of
the innocent executed (over 130
people on death row in the USA
since 1976 have been found
innocent
Countries with execution still
seem to have high crime rates!
The USA has one of the highest
murder rates in ratio to the
number of people living there
It may force some criminals to kill
rather than be caught
It makes us as bad as the
criminals

Christian views on Capital

Punishment:
Most Christians are against the death penalty as:
1. St Paul said Do not repay anyone evil with evil (Romans 12);
2. They also believe in the Sanctity of life all life is holy and belongs to
God so it is not up to people to take anyones life
3. It also goes against the idea of reform
4. The Decalogue says Do not kill
However, other Christians believe it is a way of preventing serious
crime as:
1. The Old Testament allows capital punishment
2. St Thomas Aquinas argued that peace and order in society is more
important than reforming a wrongdoer.
3. It has been used in the past by Christians
4. Jesus said Whoever curses his father or his mother is to be put to
death Matthew 15!

There are 2 Muslim views

1. The Quran says that it
may be allowed in just
causes murder, adultery
and working against Islam
1. Take not life which
God has made sacred
except for a just cause
(Hadith).
2. Also, Muhammad also
sentenced murderers to
death and so Muslims may
follow his example
3. Shariah law allows the
death penalty for deliberate
murder

However,
1. The Quran does not
allow it for all crimes,
and does allow the
criminal to pay a
victim or their family
blood money instead
(reparation)
2. The prophet
Muhammad didnt
enforce the death
penalty showing that
it is not compulsory
3. Muslims would use
the non-religious
arguments too

Amnesty International
A non-religious organisation who disagree with
capital punishment

Amnesty work for justice

and to ensure that
everyone has Human
Rights. They believe
that no matter what
someone has done, the
death penalty goes
against Human Rights.

Laws on alcohol
It is illegal to give a
child under 5
an alcoholic
drink except
under medical
supervision in
an emergency

This is because too

much alcohol for our
bodies can be a
poison. Children
need protecting.

Young people aged 16 or

17 can drink beer, wine or
cider with a meal if it is
bought by an adult and
they are accompanied by
an adult. It is illegal for a 16
and 17 year old to drink
spirits in a pub or with a
meal.

Spirits are more concentrated

and in comparison to others
alcoholic drinks, less is needed
for the effects to be felt. Food
lines the stomach and helps to
counteract the effects.

The effects
Accidents happen
Statistics show that
someone drunk or on
drugs is more likely to
harm themselves or
others, especially if they
are driving.

Crime occurs
Drinkers and drug users are
more likely to be the victims of
crime or the cause of violence.
50% of street crime is related to
drink
Leads to addiction
Alcohol is as much a
drug as heroin is
and people become
addicted. Without
medical help and
treatment for
rehabilitation,
people are trapped
by their habit.

Relationships fail
Partners and families
frequently find that
they are no longer
able to deal with an
addict who lies to them
and treats them badly
Causes health problems
Liver damage is one of the well known effects of heavy drinking
and it is irreversible. Equally, heart rate and blood pressure rises
leading to long-term heart damage. Drugs steadily destroy
peoples vital organs, as well as causing permanent damage to
the brain.

Laws on drugs
Many drugs are controlled and
put in to categories A,B or C.
Class A include things like
heroin, class C includes doctor
prescribed drugs. It is illegal to
supply these unless

The police have powers to

stop and search people
suspected of carrying illegal
drugs, or suspected to be
driving under the influence of
illegal drugs

Christian views on drugs and

There are 2
alcohol
attitudes

All Christians are against the use of

illegal drugs, and the misuse of drugs.
This is because the body is special and
should not be misused with these things

Most churches have issued

statements saying that drug
abuse is wrong and
pointing out the social
problems they cause

Groups such as the Salvation Army

offer drink and drugs programmes to
help support people come off them and
rebuild their lives

towards the use

of alcohol.
These reasons
are on the next
slide.

Opinion 1: Alcohol in moderation is

fine because:
The Bible says that Jesus
first miracle was at the
Wedding at Cana where
he turned water in to wine.

At the last supper Jesus

shared wine with his
followers and instructed
them to this in the future
to remember him. Today
Christians do this when
they celebrate with Holy
Communion.

Jesus would also

have drunk wine as
a traditional way of
welcoming in the
Sabbath day.

Note! Being drunk

is NOT ok though
as it can lead to
suffering

Opinion 2: Some Christians

(Salvation Army/Methodists) do not
allow any alcohol to be drunk
The Bible also teaches that people are
special and made in the image of God
so should not abuse their bodies

They see the devastation

that alcohol can cause.
They work in some of the
most deprived areas and
see that a lot of social
problems are caused by
drink

The Bible says

Dont you know
that your body is
the temple of the
Holy Spirit, who
lives in you and
who was given to
you by God?
(1 Corinthian 6:19)

All Muslims are against the use of alcohol and drug abuse.
They do allow healing drugs and alcohol to be used in
medical situations.

They are
haram
forbidden by
the Quran

Islam aims to create a

peaceful and just
society and so this
makes drugs and
alcohol evil.

Also the prophet Muhammad

taught that they are wrong and
so Muslims follow his example:
Intoxicants are the mother of
all evils. Alcohol is not a
medicine but a disease.

The Quran
has many
teachings on
the dangers of
drinking and
gambling.

They destroy the

body and no one
has the right to do
this because they
believe that Allah
owns are bodies

Test yourself
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

What is capital punishment?

Give 2 non-religious arguments for and against capital
punishment
Give the 2 different Christian views on capital
punishment
What do Muslims think about the death penalty?
When do Muslims believe that it is acceptable to use
the death penalty?
Why do Muslims and Christians hate drug abuse?
Give a reason for each of the Christian opinions on the
use of alcohol
Why are Muslims against drinking alcohol?

End of unit test

a. What is meant by retribution? (2)
b. Do you agree that justice is more important to
religious people than anyone else? Give 2
reasons for your point of view (4)
c. Explain Christian attitudes to capital punishment
(8)
d. Punishment should only be to reform the
wrongdoer.
Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion showing
that you have considered other points of view. At
least one view must be religious (6)