Issues of good and evil

• Good


  That which is considered morally right, beneficial and to our advantage
• Evil


  That which is considered extremely immoral, wicked and wrong
• Forgiveness


  To grant pardon for a wrongdoing; to give up resentment and the desire to seek revenge against a wrongdoer
• Free will


  The ability to make choices voluntarily and independently. The belief that nothing is predetermined
• Justice


  Fairness; where everyone has equal provisions and opportunity
• Morality


  Principles and standards determining which actions are right or wrong
• Punishment


  A penalty given to someone for a crime or wrong they have done
• Sin


  Deliberate immoral action, breaking a religious or moral law
• Suffering


  Pain or distress caused by injury, illness or loss. Suffering can be physical, emotional/psychological or spiritual
• Types of morality


  • Absolute morality
  • Relative morality
• Absolute morality


  A person has a principle such as 'it is wrong to kill' and never alters it. They apply this principle or moral standard to all situations, no matter what the context or circumstance
• Relative morality


  A person holds a moral principle but is prepared to adapt or adjust it in certain situations
• Groups adopting absolute morality

  • Catholics
  • Quaker Christians
• Groups adopting relative morality

  • Buddhists
  • Many Protestant Christian denominations like the Church of England
  • Humanists
• What Would Jesus Do (WWJD) movement: 'A reminder of a person's Christian beliefs and to prompt them to make decisions that will be in keeping with the life and teachings of Jesus'
• Virtues


  Qualities thought of as good, right and honest. Examples are: chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility. Practising these virtues is believed to keep people safe from the temptation to commit sin
• Aims of punishment


  • Protection
  • Retribution
  • Reparation
  • Deterrence
  • Vindication
  • Reformation
• Protection


  Punishment often aims to protect more people from becoming victims of crime by removing criminals from society
• Retribution


  Getting even with a person who has committed a crime so that the criminals suffer just as they have made others suffer
• Reparation


  Repairing the damage done through crime, such as community service clean-up schemes for vandals
• Deterrence


  One of the main aims of punishment is to deter or put people off committing crime altogether
• Vindication


  Punishment exists to prove the authority of the law, and to remind people that without law and order there is chaos
• Reformation


  Punishment can reform or rehabilitate offenders so that they can understand why they committed offences and attempt to 'fix' these problems
• Prisons are schools for crime
• The prison system in Britain is at breaking point. Numbers in prison have never been so high, and yet neither have rates of reoffending on release
• Many prisoners reoffend on release, with the rates higher for those who have received short sentences
• Christian attitudes to punishment


  Christians do not support the idea of retribution as a purpose of punishment. Christians believe in justice, which means that forgiveness and punishment should go together. Christians should try to follow the example of Jesus who forgave those who betrayed him. Christians have been actively involved in prison reform to ensure that people are treated humanely in prison and to recognise and address the causes of criminal behaviour
• Amos 5:24: 'But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream'
• Restorative justice


  A system of justice that enables criminals to make amends for their behaviour by meeting their victim and apologising
• Islamic attitudes to punishment

  Punishment is seen as central to justice and essential in keeping people from straying from what is good and just. Shari'ah law outlines both the rules to live by and the punishments if these laws are broken. Many Shari'ah law punishments are designed to deter as well as protect society from further wrongdoing. Muslims do hope, however, that offenders will repent, reform and seek forgiveness both from God and their victims
• Qur'an 16:90: 'Indeed, God orders justice and good conduct and giving [help] to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded'
• Prisoners riot over poor treatment and overcrowding
• Many prisoners continue to complain about overcrowding, poor treatment and a lack of access to important services
• The impact of poor prison conditions can be seen in rising rates of assault, self-harm and suicide among inmates
• Prison reformers


  People who lobbied for change to improve prison conditions and practices, often inspired by their religious beliefs
• Prison reformers


  • John Howard
  • Elizabeth Fry
• By the 1870s ideas both about prison and prisons themselves had changed dramatically. Purpose-built institutions were to be found across the country, and a lively debate about how to treat prisoners once in jail had been born
• The prison population of England and Wales was 85,641 in 2015, compared to 44,246 in 1993. Reoffending rates are high
• According to Government statistics, only 53 per cent of the prison population have any qualifications, compared to 85 per cent of the working-age population
• The Government recently announced plans to overhaul the prison system in Britain, calling for prisoners to be viewed and treated as 'potential assets, not liabilities'