Year 11 - Religious education
Reasons for crime: mental illness and addiction
Religion, crime and punishment
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils will study ideas of crime and how people 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.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how mental illness and addiction can lead to crime and describe Christian and secular responses to these causes.
Key Notes
- Mental illness affects how someone thinks/behaves, making it harder to make good choices, especially without support.
- Addiction is a serious condition that can take over a person's actions, sometimes leading to crime.
- The Bible teaches that people are judged based on what they understand and recognises how addiction can trap a person.
- Christianity teaches that mental illness and addiction can lead to crime and highlights the need to respond with care.
- Charities like Turning Point and Caritas help people with mental health or addiction problems to get support.
Vocabulary To Learn
- addiction: being addicted to/dependent on a particular substance; can be a cause of crime (e.g., stealing money to pay for illegal drugs)
- crime: action which breaks the law; can be against the person (e.g., murder), against property (e.g., vandalism), or against the state (e.g., treason)
- mental illness: a medical condition that can cause changes to a person's behaviour; can be a cause of crime
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Help and punishment are opposites.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Mental illness affects how someone thinks/behaves, making it harder to make good choices, especially without support. Addiction is a serious condition that can take over a person's actions, sometimes leading to crime.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'addiction'
being addicted to/dependent on a particular substance; can be a cause of crime (e.g., stealing money to pay for illegal drugs).
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Help and punishment are opposites. Correction: Many religious and secular views argue that support and accountability can go together. A person may still be responsible for their actions, but helping them through treatment or rehabilitation can reduce reoffending and lead to real change.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Different religious views about corporal punishment Study Guide
- Different religious views about forgiveness Study Guide
- Different religious views about the death penalty Study Guide
- Ethical arguments relating to the death penalty Study Guide
- Good and evil intentions Study Guide
- Opposition to an unjust law Study Guide
- Reasons for crime: greed and hate Study Guide
- Reasons for crime: poverty and upbringing Study Guide
- The aims of punishment Study Guide
- The concept of forgiveness Study Guide
- The treatment of criminals: corporal punishment Study Guide
- The treatment of criminals: prison and community service Study Guide
- Views about different types of crime Study Guide
- Views about people who commit crime Study Guide
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