Crime & Punishment | Religion, Philosophy & Ethics for GCSE/IGCSE - Year 11 PDF Download

Introduction

Crime refers to any act that violates the law and is subject to legal penalties. Punishment is the consequence imposed on an individual convicted of a crime.

The UK Legal System

• The UK employs magistrates and courts to determine the guilt of offenders.
• Courts assess whether a person is innocent or guilty and, if guilty, assign an appropriate sentence.
• Severe crimes, such as murder or rape, may result in a life sentence, typically 25 years in prison.
• Less severe offenses may lead to lighter penalties, such as community service, instead of imprisonment.
• The harshest punishment in the UK is life imprisonment.
• The UK prohibits corporal punishment or the death penalty under all circumstances.
• In contrast, some regions, including certain Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, permit the death penalty under Shari’ah law.
• Shari’ah law also allows physical punishments, such as caning, for offenders.

Good and Evil Intentions and Actions

Understanding Good and Evil Actions

• Actions that comply with the law are generally considered “good.”
• However, good actions extend beyond legal compliance and include acts of love and generosity, such as donating time or money to charity, which are not legally mandated.
• Such actions are regarded as good.
• Some Christians and Muslims view certain legal actions in the UK, like adultery, as morally wrong despite not being illegal.
• Evil actions are those that cause suffering or death, such as murder, abuse, or terrorism, and are often illegal.
• Religious believers may also classify some legal actions as evil based on moral grounds, though these cannot be prosecuted in the UK.
• Evil actions are sometimes associated with the devil (Satan in Christianity, Iblis in Islam), but religious perspectives typically focus on extreme immorality rather than a direct link to the devil.

Distinction Between Intention and Action

• There is a clear difference between intention and action.
• Good intentions may lead to bad actions, such as lying to spare a friend’s feelings, where the intent is positive, but the act is questionable.
• Similarly, killing a dictator to stop persecution may have a good intention but involves a wrongful act.
• In the UK, courts consider intentions when determining the severity of a sentence.
• Some argue that the impact of a crime on victims should be the primary factor in sentencing, rather than intentions.

Christian Responses to Evil Intentions and Actions

Christian Perspective on Evil

• Christians view actions that contradict God’s teachings as evil and sinful.
• The concept of original sin, stemming from Adam and Eve’s disobedience in Genesis, explains humanity’s tendency to err.
• Most Christians believe there are no inherently evil people, as humans are created in God’s image, which is deemed “good.”
• Truly evil actions are often attributed to psychological illness, requiring both punishment and treatment.

Christians emphasize intentions, based on Jesus’ teaching that actions stem from inner thoughts:

“What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come — sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” (Mark 7:20-23)

Good actions must be driven by pure intentions, not for personal glory. Jesus taught:

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:3-5)

St. Paul emphasized the importance of good deeds:

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” (Romans 2:7-8)
Christians are guided by the principle: “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).

Muslim Responses to Evil Intentions and Actions

Muslim Perspective on Evil

• Muslims believe humans are not inherently evil, as they are created by God, but they are prone to mistakes.
• Evil entered the world through Adam, and Iblis (Satan), a cursed jinn who refused to bow to Adam, tempts humans to stray from Allah’s path.
• Evil actions result from succumbing to temptation, not from being inherently bad.
• In UK law, intentions influence sentencing, while in Shari’ah law, the focus is on the severity of actions against religious values, with intentions also playing a significant role.
• Muslims view serious thoughts of committing a crime as nearly equivalent to the act itself, based on the Hadith:

“All actions are judged by motives, and each person will be rewarded according to their intention.”

The Hadith further explains the weight of intentions and actions:

“Whoever intends to perform a good deed but does not do it, then Allah will record it as a complete good deed. If he intends to do it and does it, then Allah will record it as ten good deeds, up to seven hundred times as much, or even more. If he intends to do an evil deed and does not do it, then Allah will record for him one complete good deed. If he does it, then Allah will record for him a single evil deed.”

The Qur’an describes judgment as a weighing of deeds:

“Those whose good deeds are heavy on the scales will be the ones to prosper, and those whose good deeds are light will be the ones who have lost their souls through their wrongful rejection of our messages.” (Qur’an 7:8-9)

• Muslims strive to perform good (halal) actions with good intentions and avoid forbidden (haram) actions to earn eternal reward in Paradise (Al-Jannah).