Religion, Crime & Punishment

• Crimes against the person: offences causing direct harm to a person
• Crimes against property: offences that damage or deprive people off their property
• Crimes against the state: offences that potentially endanger and pose a threat to society as a whole
• Crime Statistics:

  • 30,000 crimes are committed in the UK each day
  • There were 11 million crimes committed in the last year
  • Only 3 million were reported to the police
• Social reasons: people break the law because they want to fit in with a "gang" or are peer pressured by others
• Environmental reasons: where people live and their home background causes people to commit crime. Poverty and close family members that commit crime are examples
• Psychological reasons: human nature may cause people to commit crime. Greed, anger or jealousy are examples. People may also commit crimes because they have mental health problems
• Drugs: people often commit crimes because they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. People also often commit crimes to fund a habit or through selling drugs to other people
• Some crimes are punished differently because of the severity and if it could be made up for, it has to be proportionate
• "People who commit crimes due to mental health issues should not be punished the same as someone who commits crime out of greed" - [12 MARKS]

  For:

  • Mental health issues cause lack of self control and therefore are less accountable
  • Crimes should be punished based on their intent
  • It is society's responsibility to help and account for people with mental health issues

  Against:

  • Some people could justify terrible crimes due to mental health
  • Slippery slope and it could be taken advantage of
  • Fairness and equality in front of the law