Overview
please respond to Christopher. with 150. words. ch 17
Criminal law is definitely a deterrent to criminal activity as long as those laws are built upon a system of morality and enacted by a moral people. The reason why criminal laws act as deterrents to crime is because they are merely codifications of well known moral principles. For example, murder, theft, rape, are all moral principles that are well known to all people and therefore the laws are good deterrents. The western judicial system is based on a Christian moral view. Every single one of our laws is built upon that moral view and honoring the greatest commandments in Christianity: Love God and Love Neighbor. That is why we do not do our neighbors wrongly by murdering or raping, and why we have laws that protect the rights of everyone because everyone is made in God’s image.
With that being said, the moral guidance that can help deter further criminal activity is building a moral people, and that starts in the church. People that go to church and believe in God don’t typically commit crimes, and when a society’s bedrock is faith they are typically a safer, less crime riddled society. After all, John Adams said it himself that this nation and Her rules are built for a moral, religious society. So in order to deter crime, society needs to reflect these norms and behaviors, otherwise each man is left to his own devices, and chaos will continue to ensue.