Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment

1. Justice

   • 'just behaviour or treatment'
   • Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect
   • Make sure all are cared for and protected

2. Christians believe that not matter how good human justice is it will never be of the same quality as God will judge at the final judgement where all will be judged

3. Aims of punishment

   • Deterrence- deter the individual doing it again and deterring others from committing the same crime
     • Reformation- Give the criminal the chance to reform and live a better life afterwards
       • Protection- Keep innocent people from harm
         • Retribution- show society and the victim that the person has been punished
           • Vindication- Consequences of breaking the law encourage respect for the law.

4. Capital punishment

   • Execution as a punishment for a crime
   • For
     • Protect society permanently
       • Help victims come to terms with crime
         • Deterrence
           • Shows life is valuable and should be protected
   • Against
     • It's effectively murder
       • It makes you as bad as them
         • Chance of reform
           • Kill wrong person-Derek Bentley, let him have it- Joint enterprise
             • Other punishments
               • Doesn't actually deter others
     • Gandhi- 'an eye for an eye will make the world blind'
     • Impossible to have a completely foolproof conviction
       • Cannot be guaranteed that justice is being done
     • Society has to employ someone as an executioner
       • Unnacceptable job
         • Inevitably includes murder
     • God should be the ultimate judge

5. Christians believe in punishment for crimes but also believe in forgiveness

6. Treatment of prisoners

   • They should be treated appropriately and fairly
     • Elizabeth Fry
       • Quaker
         • She went to Newgate prison and the conditions were awful
           • She sewed clothes for children, brought fresh food
             • Taught women and children
               • Campaigned for fairer treatment of prisoners
                 • Believes Capital Punishment is evil
                   • Contributed to changing the prison system in the 1800s

7. 'Forgive and you will be forgiven'

   • 'Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth'
     • 'Go now and leave your life of sin'