Crime & Punishment

• Retribution means to get ’revenge’ on the offender. An ’eye for an eye’ often sums up this aim of punishment.
• Deterrence is to punish severly to put people off commiting certain crimes, e.g. harsh prison sentences and the death penalty.
• Reformation is punishing people in a way that helps them to change their ways, realise what they did was wrong, and go on to live a crime free life. Many prisons provide rehabilitation programmes for instance.
• Vindication is punishing people so that they respect the law.
• Reparation is making amends/repairing the damage done through crime. Community service allows a criminal to give something back to the community.
• Protection is punishing people so that society are protected, e.g. giving people life sentences protects society from dangerous people.
• Christians believe that forgiveness is very important, and therefore retribution is not a favoured aim of punishment. Jesus forgave those who sinned against him, so many Christians say criminals deserve a second chance.
• Reformation is the most important aim of punishment in Christianity.
• Justice is still very important in Christianity and all criminals should be given a proportionate punishment for the crime they have committed.
• The most important aim for punishment in Islam is deterrence. In Shari’ah law, punishments are severe so that people are deterred from committing crimes.
• Historically, harsh punishments were carried out in public to deter people from committing crimes in Islamic societies. Nowadays, protecting the ummah (Muslim brotherhood) is of the utmost importance and so protection is also a key aim of punishment.
• Forgiveness is an important concept in Islam though, and so once a criminal has received their punishment they need to be forgiven and given a chance to reform and seek forgiveness from Allah.
• A crime is defined as an action which goes against the law and which is punishable by law.
• Many factors influence whether someone might commit a crime, these include upbringing, culture, past life experience, religion, etc.
• A sin is different to a crime, in that crimes go against the law and a sin is an action which goes against the teachings of a particular religion.
• Death penalty pros: It is a good deterrent. It ensures that criminals cannot hurt anyone else or commit any more crimes. It serves justice. It gives the family of victims comfort/compensation. It is cheaper than keeping a criminal in prison their entire life. Prisons are overpopulated.
• Death penalty cons: Sometimes mistakes are made, and it is irreversible. It takes away the chance for them to be forgiven and reform. Killing is wrong in all circumstances, the death penalty can be seen as hypocritical. Statistics show no difference in levels of crime in countries with or without the death penalty (is it a really a good deterrent?). Poorer people may not be able to afford a lawyer, so they are more likely to get the penalty.
• Muslims generally agree with the death penalty because it is condoned in the Qur’an.
• Many traditional Christians argue that the death penalty is acceptable because Jesus accepted the death penalty as an integral part of atoning for the sins of humanity.
• Some Christians don’t agree with the death penalty because God gives the clear commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’, which means if taken literally, would include the death penalty, meaning that it is wrong.
• As an aim for revenge, the death penalty is not accepted by Christians.