Religion, crime and punishment · GCSE Religious Studies

Crime and its causes

Causes of crime include poverty, upbringing, mental illness, addiction, greed, hate, and opposition to a law thought to be unjust.
Many religious believers condemn the crime but not the person ('hate the sin, not the sinner'). Some work with prisoners, for example as prison chaplains or through Prison Fellowship.

Retribution (making the offender pay), deterrence (putting people off crime), reformation (helping the offender change), protection (keeping society safe) and reparation (making amends to the victim or community).

Prison, community service and fines are used in the UK. Corporal punishment is illegal.
The death penalty for murder was suspended in Great Britain in 1965 and abolished in 1969.

Christians are taught to forgive others as God forgives them, as in the Lord's Prayer; Jesus said to forgive 'seventy times seven' times (Matthew 18:22). Forgiveness doesn't mean there should be no punishment.
Gee Walker publicly forgave the young men who murdered her son Anthony in 2005.

Arguments for: retribution ('an eye for an eye', Exodus 21:24), deterrence, and protecting society.
Arguments against: the sanctity of life, the risk of executing innocent people (such as Timothy Evans, hanged in 1950 and later pardoned), and removing any chance to reform. In 2018, Pope Francis changed Catholic teaching to say the death penalty is 'inadmissible'.

Shari'ah is Islamic law, based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah (the example of Muhammad). Muslims believe Allah is just, and that people will be judged on their intentions (niyyah) as well as their actions.
Many Muslims accept the death penalty for murder, because the Qur'an allows a life to be taken 'by right' (Surah 17:33). But the victim's family may forgive the killer and accept compensation (diyah) instead (Surah 2:178), and some Muslims oppose the death penalty altogether.
Forgiveness: Allah is merciful and forgiving, and the Qur'an teaches that whoever forgives and makes reconciliation will be rewarded by Allah (Surah 42:40).
Shari'ah sets out corporal punishments for some crimes, and some Muslim-majority countries use them. Many Muslims believe they should only be used under strict conditions, and others see them as against human rights. Muslims in the UK follow UK law, which doesn't allow corporal punishment.

Crime: An action that breaks the law.
Sin: An action that goes against God's will.
Retribution: Punishment that makes the offender pay for their crime.
Deterrence: Punishment intended to put people off committing crime.
Reformation: Helping an offender change their behaviour.
Forgiveness: Letting go of anger and blame towards someone who has done wrong.
Corporal punishment: Physical punishment, such as beating.
Death penalty: Execution as a punishment for a crime.
Community service: Unpaid work in the community as a punishment.
Shari'ah: Islamic law, based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
Diyah: Compensation paid to a victim's family, which Islam allows instead of the death penalty if the family forgives.