Attitudes to Treatment of Criminals

• Aims of punishment


  • Retribution
  • Deterrence
  • Reformation
• Retribution


  To pay back the same level for the crime committed
• Deterrence


  To put people off committing crime
• Reformation


  To change a criminal's behaviour for the better
• Prison


  • For those who commit serious crimes
  • Takes away freedom
  • Often given an education or train in a skill
  • Often receive counselling
• Corporal punishment


  • Punished by causing them physical pain
  • Illegal in the UK
  • Used in Sharia law in Islamic countries
• Corporal punishment


  • Achieves retribution by causing physical pain
  • Achieves deterrence as people would not want to be physically harmed
  • Unlikely to help change the criminal's behaviour for the better
• Community service


  • Achieves retribution by making up to the community for less serious crimes
  • Achieves deterrence as people would not want to be seen doing unpaid work
  • Achieves reformation as it is often done alongside treatment programmes or counselling
• Religious views on types of punishment

  • Prison
  • Corporal punishment
  • Community service
• Some Christians may say that corporal punishment is not acceptable
• Islamic views on types of punishment

  • Prison
  • Corporal punishment
  • Community service
• Non-religious views on types of punishment

  • Prison
  • Corporal punishment
  • Community service
• Some Christians believe


  Community service is an effective method of punishment for minor crimes such as vandalism as it allows the criminal to repay the community and receive counselling which helps with reform
• Some Muslims believe


  Community service is an ineffective type of punishment as it is not enough of a deterrence to prevent these crimes from happening again