The causes of crime, different types of crime, religious attitudes to lawbreakers and to good, evil and suffering.

What this dot point is asking

AQA wants you to explain why people commit crime, the different types of crime, and religious attitudes to lawbreakers and to good and evil. The exam expects several causes, several types, and a balance of justice and compassion in the religious response.

Why people commit crime

Distinguishing causes matters morally: a person stealing food for a hungry family is judged differently from someone defrauding people out of greed, and an unjust law (such as racial segregation) may even make breaking it a moral act, as with Rosa Parks. Religions take the cause seriously when deciding how much blame and what response is right.

Types of crime

Believers often regard some crimes as worse than others: murder breaks the sanctity of life and "you shall not murder", while a minor theft, though wrong, is less grave. Hate crimes are especially condemned because they target people for who they are.

Religious attitudes to lawbreakers, good and evil

Both Christianity and Islam teach respect for just laws and for justice, because order and fairness protect the community, but they also teach compassion for offenders. Christians follow Jesus' example of mercy toward sinners and his warning not to judge harshly, "let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone" (John 8:7). Islam combines firm justice with strong encouragement of repentance, forgiveness and reform, since Allah is merciful. Both faiths hold that humans have free will to choose good or evil and are accountable for their actions, while suffering caused by crime is part of the wider problem of evil. The principle many believers apply is to hate the crime but care for the criminal.

For the exam, link the causes of crime to the aims of punishment in the next dot point. If a crime is caused by poverty or addiction, believers who stress reformation will argue that tackling the cause (through rehabilitation, support and education) is more Christian than simple retribution. The cause also feeds the evaluation question on responsibility: both faiths teach humans have free will and are accountable, so circumstances may explain but do not fully excuse wrongdoing. Distinguish too between good, evil and suffering: religions teach that crime can flow from human evil and selfishness, but that even serious offenders are made in God's image and can repent. A strong answer therefore holds together a realistic account of why people offend, a clear sense of justice, and the religious emphasis on mercy and the hope of reform.