the threat of punishment as a way to put a person off committing crime

ensuring fairness by responding to crimes in a way that holds the offender properly accountable

legal measure aimed at preserving others’ rights and freedoms by removing or restricting those who pose a risk

helping the criminal understand why their behaviour was wrong, with the goal of changing their mindset and actions

getting the criminal back for their crimes by giving a punishment as payback or revenge for the wrongdoing

Christianity and the aims of punishment

Religious education

Christianity and crime

Christianity and types of punishment

Christianity and the death penalty

Christian attitudes to forgiveness

Christian teachings about good and evil

Christianity and suffering

Muslim attitudes to forgiveness

Islam and the death penalty

In this unit pupils will study ideas of crime and how Christians and Muslims may view crime is caused. From that, they will examine different ideas of punishing crime and treating criminals focussing especially on a case study of the death penalty and ideas of forgiveness.

Issues of Good and Evil

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

False – different punishments have different aims.

True – all punishments aim to hurt the criminal.

False – punishment is always about personal opinion.

All punishments try to achieve the same thing.

Reformation helps the criminal understand why their behaviour was {{}}.

Retribution is about punishment as payback or {{}} for wrongdoing.

Christians believe that {{}} involves holding offenders accountable.

Which Christian teaching best opposes hate crime?

What can increase the seriousness of a crime?

{{}} means dishonestly taking property with intent to keep it.

What is one cause of crime identified by Christian groups?

The Methodist Church sees crime as a result of {{}} relationships and social injustice.

Offenders can be forgiven and helped to change.

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Christianity and the aims of punishment

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.