Crime & Punishment Some people believe that there should be a fixed punishment 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 the punishment. Discuss both of these two views and give your own opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Some people argue whether criminals must always subject to fixed punishment for certain crimes, or whether situations for committing the offence should be taken into account before inflicting sanction.

This

essay will examine both sides of the argument and outline my opinion. On the one hand, criminal activities have reduced significantly over the centuries in the history of humankind. Fixed punishments like the death penalty, life imprisonment for drug trafficking deter an offender from

such

heinous crimes. The ruthlessness of

such

harsh punishments ensured safety and security in the society.

For instance

, according to a publication on criminal justice from the C.I.A, Saudi Arabia has been consistently ranked top regarding achieving a low-crime index due to its aggressive law for enforcing fixed punishments for designated crimes.

Nevertheless

, the main objective of the law and order is to protect the innocents and punish the wrong doers. The fixed penalizing often contradicts with the fundamental objective of the civil society.

On the other hand

, persecuting a convict violate human rights; often without considering the aspects leading to

such

violation. Consider Saudi Arabia, ranked as the country with the lowest crime index in the world. The state’s implementation of a strict fundamentalist approach to persecute criminals regardless the circumstances of the misdeed has drawn flak from many human rights organisations. Amnesty International reported that fair trials are prohibited to criminals even if they are wrongly convicted.

Finally

, in my opinion, a convicted person should be given punishment only based on the circumstances and severity of the crime.

For example

, if someone murders in the act of self-defence, the verdict given should not amount to a life-sentence. To conclude, inflicting fixed punishments may increase the safety and security of the society;

however

, it

also

violates the human rights a suspect is legally entitled to.