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.