Some people believe that there should be fixed punishments for each type of crime. Others, however, argue that the circumstances of an individual crime, and the motivation for committing it, should always be taken into account when deciding on punishment. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Many argue that the criminals of one particular
crime
should get a fixed punishment, irrespective of other factors like circumstances and motives, while others believe that circumstantial evidence and intentions should
also
be taken into account while deciding their fate. I firmly believe that the judges must consider the reasons of a
crime
and whether it was an intentional event or an accident while making a judgment to fulfil the requirements of justice. On the one hand, people believe that the main purpose of punishing a criminal should be to deter many others, and fixed punishments are best suited for
this
purpose.
In other words
, people will be more conscious in their daily activities, avoiding any criminal act, because they would already be knowing their fate, in case they would be caught. To illustrate an example, people in United Arab Emirates are following strict road discipline to avoid an accident, as there are fixed punishments for it. Many individuals,
therefore
, consider that
this
policy of fixed punishments would decrease
crime
rates.
On the other hand
, others believe that fixed sentences would not serve the justice in true sense. To put it another way, many people may end up in doing an act of
crime
accidentally without any intentions for it.
For instance
, one may meet a road traffic accident and kill someone without any motives to do that. Punishing him or her the same way as a murderer doing a robbery would not meet the criteria of justice. For these reasons, I am a staunch supporter of flexible punishments which should vary according to the circumstances. To conclude,
although
fixed punishment may reduce the
crime
rate by creating deterrence in public, yet it should be unjust for many who commit some
crime
accidentally.
Submitted by shafqat on

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    • Sentence 2 - Example
    • Sentence 3 - Discussion
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    • Sentence 1 - Topic sentence
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Topic Vocabulary:
  • fixed punishments
  • consistency
  • predictability
  • deter crime
  • potential offenders
  • streamline
  • judicial process
  • bias
  • corruption
  • complexity
  • human behavior
  • circumstances
  • justice system
  • intent
  • remorse
  • socio-economic background
  • rehabilitate offenders
  • recidivism rates
  • flexible punishment systems
  • inconsistencies
  • perceived injustices
  • public trust
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