Christianity & the Treatment of Criminals (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)

Christian teachings about the treatment of criminals

What does Christianity teach about the treatment of criminals?

• Christians generally support the rule of law and believe that wrongdoers should face consequences for their actions

• However, there is also a strong emphasis on forgiveness, rehabilitation, and the potential for change

• Many Christians advocate for restorative justice approaches that focus on healing the harm caused by crime and reintegrating offenders into society

• Within Christianity there is an emphasis on forgiveness and redemption and on the positive treatment of criminals

Christianity and types of punishment

• Christians would have different views about the types of punishments given to criminals

• Prisons are the most common form of punishment for serious offences

  • Prison aims to protect society, punish offenders, and potentially rehabilitate

  • However, it has been criticised for high reoffending rates and potential to reinforce criminal behaviour

  • Christians think that prisons are good as they protect the community

  • They think that prisons should support the reformation process and help give an education and training

• Community service is a punishment where offenders perform unpaid work to benefit the community

  • It aims to provide reparation and encourage responsibility

  • It can help offenders develop skills and positive connections

  • It is a suitable punishment for minor offences

  • It might help those with drug and alcohol addiction by sending them to therapy

  • It may be supported by Christians because it has a focus on deterrence and reformation

• Corporal punishment is a physical punishment, such as caning or flogging

  • It has largely been abolished in Western countries but still used in some nations

  • It is controversial due to human rights concerns

  • Christians believe causing pain to others is not acceptable

  • However, the Bible seems to support using physical punishment as a way of correcting behaviour and so many believe in this form of discipline

• Jesus did however teach Christians to treat each other with respect and so many Christians believe that physical punishment is not an option

Divergent Christian attitudes towards torture

Christian attitudes towards the treatment of criminals

• When considering the treatment of criminals there are four key areas that provoke debate amongst Christians:

  • The use of torture

  • Human rights

  • Fair trial

  • Trial by jury

Christian attitudes towards torture

• Torturing criminals is not accepted by Christians

  • This is because they believe that all humans are created by God and should be treated fairly

  • Also, Jesus told people to 'treat others as you wish to be treated.' (Mark 7:12) This is known as the Golden Rule

  • Therefore, if you wouldn't want to be tortured, then you shouldn't support the use of torture

• However, some Christians may accept the use of torture if it is for the greater good, helping many others in the process

  • Some Christians may consider torture as acceptable as in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Jesus tells of a servant who is punished by his master:

Divergent Christian attitudes towards human rights

Christian attitudes towards human rights

• Christian attitudes to human rights are diverse and shaped by religious beliefs, biblical teachings, and interpretations of justice, compassion, and human dignity

• While there is no single Christian stance on human rights, there are several key themes in Christian thought that influence how believers understand and engage with human rights

• All Christians believe that human rights are important; that each person has a right to certain things, such as food, shelter, health care, education, and freedom

  • This is because of the teachings around God creating all humans as equals in the Bible, including:

• However, Christians also believe that criminals should be punished, which may take away some of their human rights, such as freedom

  • They support this, providing the criminal is treated with dignity and is not denied food, safety, and shelter. This is because justice is very important to Christians

Divergent Christian attitudes towards fair trial and trial by jury

Christian attitudes towards a fair trial

• Christians believe it is vital to uphold justice, regardless of the crime committed

• The Bible contains numerous calls for justice, particularly in terms of fairness, impartiality, and the protection of the vulnerable

• A fair trial is seen as an essential part of maintaining justice in society, where there is evidence presented by the prosecution (against the criminal) and defence (for the criminal)

• A number of verses in the Bible support this belief:

Christian attitudes towards a trial by jury

• Christians believe that a trial by jury ensures justice for criminals

  • A trial by jury is where evidence is presented to a group of people (the jury) who then decide whether the criminal is innocent or guilty

  • This is because a jury, which is made up of members of the public completely unconnected to the criminal, will be unbiased and can view all evidence in a way that is fair and just, before reaching a decision

• Christians believe in a fair trial because Jesus did not have a fair trial when he was found guilty of blasphemy and crucified

  • Jesus was arrested and put on trial before the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish Council

  • The chief priests and the whole council were searching for false testimony to use against Jesus in order to execute him

  • The people who were in charge of making the decision about Jesus' fate were completely biased against him; they had ordered his arrest, although he had committed no crime

  • They claimed he committed blasphemy, which means to do or say something disrespectful about God

  • The punishment for this at the time was execution

  • The Jewish leaders were also fed up with him breaking the Sabbath laws for example, healing people on the Sabbath, challenging their authority, and mixing with people they believed were 'unclean,' such as prostitutes and tax collectors

  • The Bible shows very clearly that Jesus did not receive a fair trial, nor did he have an unbiased jury

  • Jesus did not receive justice when he was found guilty and put to death on the cross

  • This is just one of the reasons Christians believe that a fair trial by an impartial jury is important.

Christianity and ethical theories on the treatment of criminals

Situation ethics and the treatment of criminals

• Situation Ethics is an ethical theory developed by Christian theologian Joseph Fletcher in the 1960s

  • It argues that moral decisions should be based on the situation at hand, rather than using fixed rules or laws

    • The central idea is that love, specifically agape (selfless, unconditional love) should be the guiding principle in making moral choices, including how criminals should be treated

    • In terms of criminal justice, situation ethics would suggest that the treatment of criminals should be based on what produces the most loving, compassionate, and constructive outcome in each situation

    • Fletcher proposed that, in each individual case, the focus should be on the needs of the person involved, both the criminal and the broader society

    • Since situation ethics emphasises love, it suggests that the goal of dealing with crime should be restoration rather than mere punishment

  • However, there may be situations where it is acceptable to cause harm to criminals if it were to benefit the ‘greater good’

    • An example of this might be torture being used to extract information to prevent a greater harm (for example, saving lives in a terrorist plot)

    • This may be acceptable if the person is in a position where their suffering could be justified to prevent greater harm to others

    • It might be acceptable if the torture results in a greater good, and could avoid greater suffering?

    • If torturing someone could lead to saving lives or preventing a massive disaster, a situation ethicist might justify it as the ‘loving’ action in that particular context

Situation ethics and links to Christianity

• Situation ethics is rooted in Christian principles, particularly in its emphasis on agape (selfless, unconditional love), which is central to the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament

• A loving approach might involve offering forgiveness and a chance for redemption rather than focusing on punitive measures alone

• This aligns with Christian teachings about forgiveness, where Jesus instructs his followers to forgive others and seek reconciliation (for example, Matthew 18:21-22)