Some people believe that there should be fixed punishments 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 these views and give your own opinion.

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Throughout his history, human has invariably searched for more accurate, just and practical approaches to
punishment
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. Some have viewed the concept as quite rigid, believing in fixed, unforgiving punishments for each type of
crime
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, while
some
Correct quantifier usage
apply

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others believe in a more relative and understanding
approach
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to
punishment
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that takes into consideration the motivation and circumstances of the
crime
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. Those maintaining that crimes ought to be responded to using fixed punishments are probably concerned about the function of
punishment
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: to prevent
crime
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. They may state that knowing that a
crime
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will lead to an unambiguous, uncompromising consequence, would-be offenders will do their utmost to avoid committing it. On a more epistemological level, they may be staunch believers of free will, which means that, in their book, ill intent has to be reciprocated with the same level of maliciousness. There are others,
however
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, who adopt a different
approach
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, believing that it is not the
crime
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per se that needs to be taken into account when determining punitive measures, but that it would be more judicious to consider the circumstances of an individual offence or
crime
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as well the motivation of the offender.
This
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approach
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comes from a more humanistic mindset in which people are deemed as not machines and robots, but beings highly affected by external factors. To
them
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,them

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an act of stealing food conducted by an individual starving to death should be penalized differently than one done simply on a whim. Another relative aspect in their viewpoint is that one’s motivation
also
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plays a key role. A case in point would be a so-called murderer who happened to ‘get someone killed’ when they were playfully engaged in a friendly battle or wrestle. All in all, thoughts and mindsets regarding how to penalize offenders abound and have invariably been a moot point. While some adopt a ‘tunnel-versioned’
approach
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towards
this
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long-debated issue, there are more balanced views that not only take into account the preventative function of
punishment
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but
also
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the circumstances of every individual
crime
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and intents of the criminals.

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For we to consider an essay structure a great one, it should be looking like this:

  • Paragraph 1 - Introduction
    • Sentence 1 - Background statement
    • Sentence 2 - Detailed background statement
    • Sentence 3 - Thesis
    • Sentence 4 - Outline sentence
  • Paragraph 2 - First supporting paragraph
    • Sentence 1 - Topic sentence
    • Sentence 2 - Example
    • Sentence 3 - Discussion
    • Sentence 4 - Conclusion
  • Paragraph 3 - Second supporting paragraph
    • Sentence 1 - Topic sentence
    • Sentence 2 - Example
    • Sentence 3 - Discussion
    • Sentence 4 - Conclusion
  • Paragraph 4 - Conclusion
    • Sentence 1 - Summary
    • Sentence 2 - Restatement of thesis
    • Sentence 3 - Prediction or recommendation

Our recommended essay structure above comprises of fifteen (15) sentences, which will make your essay approximately 250 to 275 words.

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • fixed punishments
  • consistency
  • predictability
  • deter crime
  • potential offenders
  • streamline
  • judicial process
  • bias
  • corruption
  • complexity
  • human behavior
  • circumstances
  • justice system
  • intent
  • remorse
  • socio-economic background
  • rehabilitate offenders
  • recidivism rates
  • flexible punishment systems
  • inconsistencies
  • perceived injustices
  • public trust
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