Introduction to Crime and Punishment

• Crime - an offence that breaks the law set by government
• Punishment - some done legally to somebody as a result of being found guilty of breaking the law
• Crime and punishment in the UK

  • In the UK, people who commit crimes are arrested and questioned by the police  
  • They then appear before a court where a judge or jury determines their punishment  
  • In the UK, the most serious crimes are punished with a life sentence in prison , while less serious ones might result in a shorter time in prison , community service or a fine  
  • No legal punishment is allowed to deliberately cause harm to the offender 
• Good actions and evil actions in the law

  • Some people assume a good action is an action that does not break the law  
  • However, there are many good actions that exist outside of the law (e.g. giving to charity or helping people in need)
  • Likewise, there are some actions that are not against the law but might be considered evil by some people (e.g. adultery and abortion)  
  • Generally, evil actions are considered to cause suffering and harm to others 
• Conscience, and Right vs Wrong

  • A person’s conscience is their inner sense of what is right and wrong  
  • Those without conscience may be called amoral  
  • Some say that people need training to understand right and wrong and so should not be punished for offences if they have not been taught this 
• Christian views on good and evil actions

  • Evil actions (e.g. violence) are seen as sinful and against God  
  • Many Christians would claim there is no such thing as an evil person because God created people to be good  
  • However, because of original sin , humans tend to do evil things even though they are not evil themselves 
• Where Christians get guidance on moral behaviour

  • Teachings in the Bible warn against having any evil or wrong thoughts and intentions (e.g. Matthew 5 : 27 – 28)  
  • Christians find moral guidance in the Bible, particularly in the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus 
• Hinduism views on good and evil actions

  • Dharma deals with right conduct and focuses on character formation and the development of virtue  
  • Some virtues are common to everyone, but others relate to a particular varna or ashrama – For example a virtue of the Kshatriya varna is courage  
  • Hinduism teaches that if people develop virtue , then the law is less important 
• Where Hindus get guidance on moral behaviour

  • The three gunas help define moral behaviour :  
  • A person in goodness will discern right from wrong  
  • A person in passion will be confused from right and wrong
  • A person in ignorance will be convinced that right is wrong and wrong is right  
  • One of the oldest texts on moral codes in Hinduism is the Laws of Manu – these have been adapted and reinterpreted over time