Some people think that prison sentences should not be used in dealing with criminals. Education and job training should be used instead. To what extend do you agree on disagree?

A small portion of society believes that alternative penalties,

such

as professional training or community work, other prison sentences, should be applied to criminals. I personally agree with

this

statement depending on the

offence

types. Sociologists and some lawmakers have been alerting the tendency of the prison population increase, especially in countries

such

as the US, Brazil and Mexico. In those nations, it is

also

witnessed an unequal proportion of black prisoners when compared to other races, and most of them composed of uneducated young men, in their mid-20s. Specialists

also

report that when they dig deeper into the causes that led those men to jail, they realize that the majority of the accusations could be classified as a misdemeanour (e.g. alcoholism

offence

, small weed possession), and the prison penalty is disproportionately severe.

Conversely

, there are those who think that no matter the

offence

someone commits, if he/she breaks the law, the price should be paid even though jails are overpopulated, and both minor

offence

prisoners are put together with high-level criminals. Experts say,

however

, that

this

statement

also

brings to light another relevant aspect: the possibility of these small offenders being inserted into criminal networks, especially in developing countries where the authorities have less or no control over prisons. All in all, I believe that updates to our law should be considered since the exposure of misdemeanour prisoners to gang leaders or chief of militias may reinforce those organizations. Alternative penalties come as an educational solution as well as help their reinsertion into society.