Some people think that some types of criminals should not go to prison. Instead they should do unpaid work in the community. To what extent do you agree?

Owing to the great variety of crimes that can be punishable by
prison
, some people argue that not all criminals are the same and it would
therefore
be more appropriate to give certain criminals
community
service
instead
. I agree that in some cases,
prison
may not be the best solution and
community
service
would probably have more benefits. One justification given for prisons is to keep
society
safe by removing criminals from the outside world. So the
first
thing to consider is if someone who has broken the law is a danger to other people. In the case of violent
crime
, there is an argument to keep the perpetrator away from
society
.
However
, burglary or possession of drugs,
for example
, does not involve violence against other people so the criminal does not present a direct danger to anyone in the
community
. Keeping these types of criminals in
prison
is expensive for the taxpayer and does not appear to be an effective punishment as they often commit the same
crime
again when they come out of
prison
. Personally, I
also
believe punishments should reform people so they do not
reoffend
cause to feel resentment or indignation
offend
. A
further
reason not to put these people in
prison
is that they may mix with more dangerous and violent criminals, potentially committing a worse
crime
when they are released. By keeping them in the
community
, helping others, they not only learn new skills, but they could
also
develop more empathy and care towards others. If
this
occurs,
society
can only benefit. Critics of
this
more rehabilitative approach to
crime
believe that justice should be harsh in order to deter people from committing similar crimes and that
community
service
could be less likely to have that effect.
However
, there is very little evidence to suggest that long
prison
sentences deter criminals. In conclusion, putting criminals who are not a danger to
society
in
prison
is expensive and, in my opinion, ineffective, both as a deterrent and as a form of rehabilitation.
Community
service
for non-violent crimes benefits both
society
and the offender. That said, it would be useful to have more data to work out whether
community
service
or
prison
is more likely to stop someone
reoffending
offending against or breaking a law or rule
offending
. I strongly believe that decisions on how best to deal with criminals should be based on evidence of what actually works.
Submitted by Phương Uyên Chu on

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • rehabilitation
  • incarceration
  • non-violent crimes
  • overcrowding
  • reoffending rates
  • judicial discretion
  • alternative punishments
  • public funds
  • community service
  • petty theft
  • vandalism
  • punitive measures
  • social reintegration
  • deterrence
  • minor offenses
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