Some people believe the purpose of prison is to punish, while others would argue that rehabilitation is its primary role. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Some argue that the aim of prison is punishment, while others say that its main role is rehabilitation.

This

essay agrees that the reason for prison is to punish.

This

essay will discuss both points of view. For centuries, the idea of prisons has been associated with punishment. Over the world, it has been and continues to be a common practice to imprison people for their crimes. Imprisonment is the best way to penalize people for their offences and

this

sends a clear message to the people of a country, that their unlawful acts would result in them being imprisoned.

This

idea instills a sense of fear in people, which in turn, prevents them from committing criminal activities.

For example

, a report by a Nigerian journalist dated several years back stated that the country had seen a decline in the crime rate as an increasing number of people were being imprisoned for their crimes.

However

, some disagree and feel that the primary purpose of prison is to provide rehabilitation. While

this

could be true in some of the cases, largely it has proved to be false. Most of the criminals who are sentenced to imprisonment view the facility as a place to stay until their term comes to an end. During the time that convicts spend in jail, they rarely reflect on their actions and seek ways to improve themselves. To illustrate, a thirty-two year old man who was jailed previously for thieving, was caught trying to break into an apartment to steal after he was released from jail.

This

proves that prisons are not the best place to rehabilitate themselves. In conclusion, prisons rarely serve as rehabilitation facilities and

hence

, the main purpose of prisons is to punish people. In my opinion, the punishment should be the key aim of imprisonment as more often than not, it is the fear of being punished over feeling any sense of guilt that prevents people from committing criminal acts.