Religion, crime and punishment — AQA GCSE Religious Studies revision

Understanding crime

• Crime is behaviour that breaks the law of the land; religious believers often also refer to sin as behaviour that breaks religious law or teaching.
• Reasons people commit crime include poverty, upbringing, mental illness, addiction, peer pressure and greed.
• Types of crime include crimes against property (theft, burglary), crimes against the person (assault), and crimes against the state (treason, terrorism, hate crime).
• Attitudes to lawbreakers vary: some argue for compassion and understanding of causes, while others focus on accountability and consequences for actions.

Aims of punishment

• Retribution means punishing someone because they deserve it, making them 'pay' for the crime committed.
• Deterrence aims to discourage the offender and others from committing crime through fear of punishment.
• Reformation aims to change an offender's behaviour and attitudes so they do not reoffend, e.g. through education or rehabilitation programmes.
• Protection of the public aims to keep society safe by removing dangerous offenders, such as through imprisonment.
• Most religious traditions support a mixture of these aims, with an emphasis on reform and the possibility of redemption.

Key terms

Crime

Behaviour that breaks the law of the land.

Sin

Behaviour that breaks religious law or teaching.

Retribution

Punishing an offender because they deserve it for the crime committed.

Deterrence

Punishment intended to discourage the offender and others from crime.

Reformation

Changing an offender's behaviour so they do not reoffend.

Protection

Keeping the public safe by restricting an offender's freedom.

Common exam traps

• Confusing crime (breaking the law) with sin (breaking religious teaching) — they can overlap but are not identical.
• Thinking all religions agree on capital punishment — views vary widely within and between religions.
• Assuming retribution and revenge are the same — retribution is a proportionate legal response, revenge is personal and unregulated.

Practice questions with answers

1. 1. What is the definition of crime?

   • • Behaviour that breaks the law of the land
   • • Any immoral thought
   • • Breaking a personal promise
   • • A type of punishment

   Answer: Behaviour that breaks the law of the land

   Crime is legally defined; sin refers to breaking religious teaching.

2. 2. Which aim of punishment focuses on making the offender 'pay' for their crime?

   • • Retribution
   • • Reformation
   • • Protection
   • • Deterrence

   Answer: Retribution

   Retribution is about proportionate punishment because the offender deserves it.

3. 3. Give one reason people might commit crime.

   Answer: Poverty can drive someone to steal to survive.

   Poverty, upbringing, addiction and peer pressure are common causes.

4. 4. What is deterrence?

   • • Punishment intended to discourage future crime
   • • Removing an offender permanently
   • • A form of forgiveness
   • • A religious ceremony

   Answer: Punishment intended to discourage future crime

   Deterrence uses fear of punishment to prevent reoffending or copying crime.

5. 5. Define reformation as an aim of punishment.

   Answer: Changing an offender's behaviour and attitudes so they do not reoffend.

   Reformation often involves education, therapy or training in prison.

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