Year 11 - Religious education
Reasons for crime: poverty and upbringing
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 poverty and upbringing can lead to crime, and describe Christian and secular responses to these causes.
Key Notes
- People in poverty may feel desperate and turn to crime, like stealing or drug dealing, to meet their basic needs.
- Growing up with neglect or violence can make crime seem normal or acceptable.
- The Bible warns that poverty can lead to crime and teaches that a good upbringing helps people make the right choices.
- Most Christian denominations agree that strong families, stable homes and tackling social problems help prevent crime.
- Charities such as the Salvation Army and Catch22 try to prevent crime by supporting families and addressing poverty.
Vocabulary To Learn
- 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)
- poverty: the state of being without the things needed for a reasonable quality of life; can be a cause of crime
- upbringing: the environment a child lives in, and the instructions they receive, while they are growing up; can be a cause of crime
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Christianity teaches that poverty or upbringing excuses crime.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
People in poverty may feel desperate and turn to crime, like stealing or drug dealing, to meet their basic needs. Growing up with neglect or violence can make crime seem normal or acceptable.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? '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).
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Christianity teaches that poverty or upbringing excuses crime. Correction: Christian teachings often show understanding of causes, but still uphold moral responsibility and stress the need for repentance and justice.
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: mental illness and addiction 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
Browse all guides in the Year 11 Religious education guide library.