Prison is the best punishment for criminals. Discuss

Nowadays, the level of crime has skyrocketed and governments across the world have to deal with an increasing number of prisoners, which could lead to
prison
overcrowding. One of the most debatable problems in our society relates to the most effective measures to punish or rehabilitate criminals. Some critics argue that the best way to sanction criminals is to sentence them to time in
prison
.
This
essay will aim to explore
this
topic in
further
detail before drawing a conclusion. On the one hand,
prison
culture is not much different to the part of the society these criminals are coming from and in some situations, jails have become schools of crime for the newcomers.
For instance
, those who committed petty crimes
such
as vandalism or theft, usually reside in the same place with high-risk offenders who were charged with murder or other violent crimes and can learn how to be better criminals upon their release from
prison
. Research conducted in the USA suggests that the average national recidivism rate for releasing prisoners is as high as 43%.
Consequently
,
this
makes it clear that detention is far away from being the best way to punish criminals, as the incarceration rate in some cases may not have decreased.
On the other hand
,
prison
can have a role in protecting society from dangerous and violent criminals, who would
otherwise
roam freely on the streets. It can be argued that putting individuals who committed violent crimes in
prison
can make the citizens feel much safer as prisoners can no longer commit crimes in the community.
Moreover
, the experience of imprisonment may deter some of the offenders from committing crimes to avoid jail in the future. Even if
prison
most likely is not the best option in the long-term, it has some advantages in removing violent criminals
such
as serial killers and sex offenders from the community. To summarize, prisons seem to play a role in making citizens feeling safer once the violent criminals were removed from the streets.
However
, it can be claimed that detention renders criminals more likely to commit violent crimes once they are released, making imprisonment less likely to be the best option to punish criminals.
Submitted by andrusca.anamaria on

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