Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to today's lesson.

I'm so pleased that you're going to join me.

My name's Mrs Rawbone and I'm going to be your RE teacher today.

In today's lesson, you will know some of the different types of crime and understand Christian and other responses to them.

Some key words we'll be using today are crime, hate crime, murder, and theft.

Crime is an action which breaks the law and it can be against the person, such as murder, against property, such as vandalism, or against the state, such as treason.

A hate crime is a crime committed because of prejudice views about a person or group.

Murder is unlawfully killing another person, and theft is taking something without the owner's consent.

Today's lesson will have two parts.

We'll be looking at types of crime, and responses to different types of crime.

So let's get started on types of crime.

A crime is an action which breaks the law.

It can be against the person, for example, murder against property, for example vandalism, or against the state, for example treason, Criminal law categorises crime based on its seriousness and by who or what is harmed.

So, looking at the seriousness, this affects whether the case is heard in a Magistrate's court or the Crown Court and how it is punished.

Looking at who or what is harmed, this helps define the type of crime.

There are three main types of crime according to how the law categorises who or what is harmed.

Crimes against the person, property, and the state.

The definition of crimes against the person is that there are offences that cause physical harm, threats of harm, or emotional or psychological harm.

Crimes against property involve interference with another person's possessions or financial interests.

And crimes against the state threaten national security, government authority, or public peace and order.

Examples of crimes against the person are murder, manslaughter, assault, actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm, harassment, stalking, and domestic abuse.

Examples of crimes against property are theft, burglary, robbery, fraud, vandalism, and arson.

And examples of crimes against the state are terrorism, treason, perjury, riot, violent disorder, and incitement to violence.

This chart shows the percentages of key types of crime committed in the year 2023 to 24 and published by the Office for National Statistics.

I'd like you to look closely at the chart and to recognise which type of crime is most common.

So have a good look, pause if you need to, and then come back when you're ready to move on.

So, you should have spotted that it is fraud that's the most common type of crime in recent years.

Let's check your understanding.

What is a crime? Pause the video to write down your definition and then come back when you're ready to see what you could have written.

Well done if you said something like, "A crime is an action which breaks the law," and also, especially if you have talked about different types of crimes such as crimes against the person, against property, or against the state.

Laura, Andeep, and Jun are going to interview Neil, who's a defence barrister, about different crimes.

Here are some of their planned questions.

Laura says, "Does the law treat people differently if they commit a crime because of someone's identity?" Andeep, "Does it count as theft if you took something, but we're going to give it back?" And Jun's question is, "What makes killing another person murder rather than manslaughter?" Laura asks, "Does the law treat people differently if they commit a crime because of someone's identity?" Neil responds, "Yes, it does.

A hate crime is committed because of prejudice against a person or group, including offences motivated by race, religion, sexuality, disability, or transgender identity.

Hate crimes are charged under usual laws, but treated more seriously often resulting in heavier fines, longer prison sentences, or community orders.

Recorded hate crimes have risen by 95,991 since 2013 to 14.

In 2023 to 24, there was a 5% overall decrease from the previous year, but religious hate crimes increased by 25%." "What is the motivation for most hate crimes?" asks Laura.

Neil replies "Well, this data here shows that 70% of hate crimes in 2023 to 24 were motivated by race.

While there have been fluctuations over the past 12 years, race has consistently remained the main motivating factor." Andeep asks, "Does it count as theft if you took something, but we're going to give it back?" Neil tells him, "Theft is defined in the theft Act of 1968 as dishonestly taking property that belongs to someone else with the intention of permanently depriving them of it.

The key elements are dishonesty, appropriation, which means taking ownership rights, property belonging to another, and the intent to keep it permanently.

That means if you take something but plan to return it, it is usually not theft because you did not intend to keep it.

Punishments for theft can include fines, community orders, or imprisonment." Jun asks, "What makes killing another person murder rather than manslaughter." Neil replies, "Murder is a common law offence, meaning it's defined by case law.

Killing is considered murder if it's unlawful, so it can't be in self-defense or during war, and if the offender had the intent either to kill or to cause serious injury.

If someone kills with clear intention or reckless disregard, it's murder.

If intent is absent, it may be manslaughter instead.

Murder carries a mandatory life sentence.

Manslaughter sentences can vary widely depending on the circumstances." Let's check your understanding.

Which two of the following are true? A, theft requires intention to permanently keep someone else's property.

B, murder is legally defined as any killing, whether a lawful or unlawful.

C, hate crimes are treated the same as other crimes with no extra penalties.

Or D, a crime motivated by prejudice against religion is a hate crime.

So take a moment, pause if you need to.

Come back when you've chosen your two answers.

Well done if you've spotted that it's A and D.

So, theft requires the intention, and a hate crime can be motivated by religion.

For task A on types of crime, I'd like you to explain how the offender's intention and motivation affect the seriousness of the crime in each scenario.

Number one, stealing a mobile phone from someone's bag on a crowded bus with the intention of keeping it.

Number two, verbally abusing someone on the street using racist language.

Number three, deliberately stabbing someone during an argument with the intent to kill or cause serious harm.

So take your time, pause the video, and come back when ready to see what you could have written.

You could have said one, "The intent to permanently keep the phone makes it theft, a serious offence.

Without that intent, it might not be theft.

Motivation does not add extra seriousness here.

The motivation of racial hatred for number two increases the seriousness of the verbal abuse, which is treated as a hate crime and can lead to a harder punishment than ordinary abuse." And for number three, "The clear intent to kill or cause serious harm makes this murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence.

Without that intent, it could be manslaughter with a lighter sentence." So, well done if you managed to show that you can understand the difference between intent and motivation when it comes to different types of crime.

For the second part of our lesson we're going to be looking at responses to different types of crime.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be used to condemn theft, murder, and hate crime.

Article 17 says, "No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property." So, with "deprived of his property" we see this is about theft.

Article 3 states, "Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person." And what's key here is the fact that everyone has the right to life, that clearly condemns murder.

Article 17 states, "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and set forth in this declaration without distinction of any kind such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status." So this one is talking about no distinctions, and that clearly condemns hate crime, which is based on distinctions between people.

So which article from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights condemns theft? Is it Article 3, "Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person." Article 17, "Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property." Or Article 2, "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this declaration without distinction of any kind such as race, colour, sex, language, religion." So take a moment, pause if you need to, and then come back when you're ready to check your answer.

So, well done if you chose B, Article 17.

In particular it says, "No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property." Christian responses to types of crime are informed by different sources of authority, including the Bible, Church teachings, the example of other Christians, Christian ethical theories such as Natural Law and situation ethics, their conscience and ability to reason.

They may interpret the sources differently or emphasise one more than another.

The Bible is a source of wisdom and authority for Christians when thinking about types of crime.

Exodus 20:15 says, "You shall not steal." This means taking someone else's property without permission is wrong.

Exodus 20:13 says, "You shall not murder." And this means killing another person unlawfully is wrong.

Mark 12:31 says, "Love your neighbour as yourself." Jesus taught people to show love and not hate.

All Christian denominations agree that crime is wrong.

Let's look at theft.

The Catechism teaches "The seventh commandment forbids theft, that is the unjust taking or keeping of the goods of one's neighbour." And that's in paragraph 2,401.

Theft offends justice and charity.

The Orthodox tradition, drawing on spiritual writings like the Philokalia, emphasises that theft violates "You shall not steal" and harms both individuals and the community.

It stresses confession and repentance.

John Wesley's sermons highlight that theft is a sin against love and justice requiring repentance and transformation, and so the Methodist Church supports rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders.

Murder.

The Catechism states murder is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and the holiness of the creator in paragraph 2,268, showing that the Catholic church teaches that taking an innocent life is a serious sin.

The Orthodox Church, through its Canons and teachings of the Church Fathers regards murder as a serious sin that deeply violates the sacredness of life.

It teaches that life is a divine gift that must be protected.

The Methodist Conference officially teaches that murder is wrong because it violates the sanctity of life which is created by God.

And that can be found in the Methodist Conference Resolution on the Sanctity of Life from 2006.

Looking at hate crime.

Pope Francis repeatedly condemned racism and all forms of discrimination.

He said that every type of racism is a sin which offends God and called for respect, inclusion, and solidarity.

Led by Patriarch Bartholomew I and other Orthodox leaders, the Orthodox Church rejects hatred and discrimination as contrary to the commandment to love one's neighbour, promoting peace and unity instead.

The Methodist Conference Resolutions on Racial Justice, including the 2019 Anti-Racism Resolution, declare racism and hate crime sinful and urge opposition to discrimination while promoting equality and reconciliation.

Let's check your understanding.

Give one reason why Christians are opposed to hate crime.

So, think back over what we've just done.

Pause the video if you need to, jot down your answer, and then come back when you're ready to see what you could have written.

You could have said any one of the following.

"The Methodist Church teaches that hate crimes are sinful." "The Orthodox Church rejects hatred and discrimination." "Pope Francis condemned all forms of racism as sinful and offensive to God." "Jesus taught, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.

'" So, well done if you've got any one of those reasons.

Jacob, Sam, and Izzy are preparing to discuss the statement, "Hate crimes are the worst type of crime." Jacob says, "I think we should agree on what 'worst' means.

Is it about how bad the crime feels or how much damage it causes?" Sam says, "We should remember that some crimes affect just one person while others impact on whole communities." And Izzy says, "We should also consider whether the reason a person committed a crime matters when deciding which type of crime is worse." So, which question do you think is most important to consider before discussing that statement? Pause.

If you can turn and talk to someone nearby, please do, or you can talk to me, and then come back when you're ready to move on.

Warren is an atheist, and he's responding to the statement, "Hate crimes are the worst type of crime." Warren says, "While hate crimes are harmful, crimes like murder or larger scale fraud cause greater damage to individuals or society.

From a utilitarian perspective, the severity of a crime should be judged by the suffering it causes rather than the motive behind it.

Focusing too much on motivation may detract from addressing the direct impact on victims and the wider consequences for society's wellbeing." So, where would you put Warren's view on this scale that goes from disagree to agree? And remember the statement is, "Hate crimes are the worst type of crime." Pause the video, turn and talk to someone nearby if you can, and then come back when you're ready to move on.

Fiona is an Anglican Christian and she's also responding to that same statement, "Hate crimes are the worst type of crime." Fiona says, "I believe hate crimes are very serious since they go against Jesus' command to love your neighbour as yourself in Mark 12:31.

At the same time, crimes like murder are equally serious because they destroy life, which is sacred.

Justice must carefully consider the harm caused by the crime.

Hate crimes deeply wound communities and murder destroys life itself." So, have a think about that scale again.

Where would you put Fiona's view on the scale? Pause, turn and talk to someone nearby, or you can talk to me if you like, and then come back when you're ready to move on.

Diane is humanist and she's responding to the statement, "Hate crimes are the worst types of crime." She says, "I believe all crimes that harm people or society are serious.

Hate crimes are particularly wrong because they violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, especially Article 2, which says everyone deserves equal rights regardless of race, religion, or background.

Hate crimes target people based on these differences, which damages social harmony." So, where would you put Diane's view on the scale? Pause again, turn and talk to someone nearby if you can, and then come back when you're ready to move on.

Which two of the following are arguments for hate crimes being the worst type of crime? A, hate crimes violate fundamental human rights.

B, all crimes causing harm are equally serious.

C, hate crimes go against Jesus' teaching to love your neighbour.

Or D, crime should not be judged by the offender's motive.

So remember, you're choosing two.

Pause if you need to and then come back when you're ready to check your answer.

So, well done if you chose A and C, both reasons to particularly condemn hate crimes.

So, for part one of our task, I like you to explain two similar religious beliefs about murder.

In your answer you must refer to one or more religious traditions.

So by religious traditions, what is meant is either two different religions or two traditions within a religion.

So we are going to be using Christianity here 'cause that's what we've looked at in today's lesson.

I'd like you to make the point, "One Christian belief about murder is," and then develop it with, "This means." And then make a second point, "Another Christian belief about murder is," and again, develop with, "This means." So pause the video, take your time.

Make sure that you include what you've been learning today, and then come back when you're ready to see what you could have written.

You could have said, "One Christian belief is that murder is wrong because human life is sacred and made in the image of God.

This means that taking an innocent life is a serious sin as shown by the command in the Ten Commandments, 'You shall not murder.

' Exodus 20:13.

Another Christian belief is that murder violates human dignity and the holiness of God.

This means it is gravely wrong, As stated in the Catechism of the Catholic church, 'Murder is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and the holiness of the creator.

' And that's paragraph 2,268." So, well done if you managed to talk about two different Christian beliefs about murder, although they both make the same point that murder is wrong.

For part two of our task, I'd like you to look at the arguments in the table and decide whether each point can argue for or against the statement, "Hate crimes are the worst type of crime," and I'd also like you to explain how.

We have hate crimes violate fundamental human rights.

Crimes should be judged by the harm they cause.

Jesus taught love your neighbour as yourself.

All crimes causing harm is serious.

Hate crimes harm entire communities.

So take your time to think about whether it's a point for or against and to write down your explanation of why.

Pause the video whilst you do that, and then come back when you're ready to see what you could have written.

You could have said, "The hate crimes violate fundamental human rights." This is an argument for the statement, and that's because hate crimes target people based on identity, violating their equality and dignity.

For "Crimes should be judged by the harm they cause," this is an argument against.

It suggests the effect of the crime matters more than the motive.

For "Jesus taught 'love your neighbour as yourself.

'" This is an argument for.

Hate crimes go against this by showing hatred instead of love.

For "All crimes causing harm is serious," this is an argument against, and it suggests all harmful crimes are equally serious regardless of motivation.

And for, "Hate crimes harm in entire communities," this is an argument for because it's saying that hate crimes cause wider social fear and division beyond the individual victims. So, well done if you manage to work out which were arguments for and which against, and also to explain why.

In today's lesson, we've looked at how crimes are classified by seriousness and by who or what they harm, that hate crimes are motivated by prejudice and punished more harshly, that theft involves dishonestly taking property with intent to keep it, that murder is unlawful killing with intent.

The Bible teaches not to steal or kill and to love your neighbour.

Exodus 20:15, 20:13, and Mark 12:31.

Christian churches agree crime is wrong and condemn hate crimes for breaking the command to love others.

Christian churches agree crime is wrong and condemn hate crimes for breaking the command to love others, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects life, property, and equality, and condemns murder, theft, and hate crimes.

Thank you for working with me today through all of this content, and well done for your efforts.