Prison

For

• maintains a social harmony by protecting the public from dangerous people

• good way of punishing those who break the law

• good deterrence, people don’t want to go to prison

Against

• expensive, 52000 thousand pounds a year - cheaper alternatives and money can be spent on better things

• very dangerous for prisoners - drug and gang wars

• breeding school for crime

• after exiting prison, it is extremely hard to find a job

• does not allow for reformation because they will be with other criminals who will influence

Corporal Punishment

For

• Deterrence - Punishing a criminal or child for breaking the law or misbehaving with pain is loving as it encourages them to not behave badly again, significantly increasing their moral and ethical standards

• Cheap way of punishing effectively - money can be spent towards other causes such as cancer research or education, instead of prison which is 52000 pounds a year per prisoner

• favour of principle of utility - harsh penalty on one individual is served to deter others, meaning society would be protected from further crime

Against

• de-sentisise a criminal both physically and mentally - cause them to lose any feelings of compassion or remorse to society, and commit same crimes again

• encourages offender to harbour feelings of resentment and desire for revenge against society

• creates a society where violence is not only accepted but encouraged - should be punished with a time punishment instead of deliberately inflicting pain on one

• unloving action which leads to pain and suffering to those who receive it - Jesus encourages love towards enemies, rather than causing harm or seeking revenge through corporal punishment

• compassion and forgiveness over violence

Community Service

For

• compassionate form of punishment which allows change - long hours of harsh labour which allows offender to think about their crimes and reform

Against

• not proportionate to some severe crimes - community service to someone who murdered someone is not fair or proportionate