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Criminology Biblical World View
Student’s Name
Institution
Instructor’s Name
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Criminology refers to the study of crime and criminal activities (Jones, 2021). On the
other hand, crime is defined as an unlawful act punishable by the state. My perception of
criminology has been primarily shaped by biblical instruction and personal experiences. Based
on these factors, my worldview on criminality revolves around punishment that is proportional to
the crime, criminal intent as a determinant of the punishment, crime as a result of social
constraints and poor company, and the need for equality in the criminal justice system.
Parents are responsible for educating and nurturing their children since they are the first
people the latter spend the most time with. Consequently, my parents were the first to shape my
idea of criminology, instilling specific values throughout my upbringing. For instance, I learned
how to be courteous from my mother, who insisted I use terms like please, thank you, and I’m
sorry when applicable. On the flip side, she also taught me why specific actions were wrong or
right and established various punitive measures for wrongdoing. For instance, it was wrong to hit
my siblings because it inflicts pain on them, and I would be grounded for hurting them. Hence, I
knew from an early age that actions have proportional consequences. My perception of
criminology gradually changed as I grew older and joined social institutions like the church and
school.
The church played a critical role in shaping my perception through biblical lessons
focused on morality. In some cases in the Bible, the crime committed was directly proportional
to the punishment enforced. For instance, when Cain killed his brother Able and suffered a curse
from God. However, in some instances, the Bible justified crimes against others, altering my
interpretation of criminal intent. For instance, killing people in battle and winning over enemies
was justified by God since it was a kill-or-be-killed situation while killing another person due to
jealousy, like Cain, was considered a crime (Kain & Recinella, 2017). However, the Bible
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clearly distinguishes right and wrong through the commandments. For instance, the
commandments assert that killing and stealing from others is wrong, and disobeying them would
be wrong in God’s eyes. Moreover, my experiences outside the church also contributed to my
view of criminology.
During my teens, I began interpreting social inequality and the causes of crime. I realized
that sometimes people commit crimes due to the social struggles they undergo or the company
they keep. For instance, if a person is in desperate need of money but lacks the necessary skills
and knowledge to be eligible for employment, they may steal for lack of a better solution. On the
other hand, if a law-abiding person keeps the company of criminals, they may gradually learn
criminal conduct and find themselves in undesirable situations. I gradually realized why my
parents insisted I keep good company.
Moreover, I learned about the social injustices against minorities by the criminal justice
system and other institutions from the media and close friends whose families had experiences
with the system. Notably, due to the racial bias in the criminal justice system, it does not always
uphold the “equal punishment for equal crimes” philosophy, which was among my motivators to
pursue criminology. Overall, my main views on criminology based on biblical instruction and
personal experiences emphasize punishment that is proportional to the crime, criminal intent as a
determinant of the punishment, crime as a result of social constraints and poor company, and the
need for equality in the criminal justice system.
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References
Jones, S. (2021). Criminology. Oxford University Press.
Kain, G. F., & Recinella, D. (2017). Retribution and capital punishment: “It’s in the Bible, isn’t
it?”. In Routledge Handbook on Capital Punishment (pp. 153-169). Routledge.
