Some people who have been in prison become good citizens later, and it is often argued that these are the best people to talk to teenagers about the dangers of committing a crime. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

It is true that ex-prisoners can become normal, instructive and productive members of society. I entirely agree with the idea that allowing

such

people

to speak to

teenagers

about their experiences is the best way to discourage them from breaking the law.

To begin

with,

teenagers

are more likely to accept advice from someone who can speak from experience. Reformed offenders can tell young

people

about how they became involved in crime, the dangers of a criminal lifestyle, and what life in prison is actually like. They can

also

dispel any ideas that

teenagers

may have about criminals leading glamorous lives. While adolescents are often indifferent to the guidance given by older

people

, I imagine that most of them would be extremely keen to hear the stories of an ex-offender. The vivid and perhaps shocking nature of these stories is likely to have a powerful impact on their lives.

Furthermore

, the alternatives to using reformed criminals to educate

teenagers

about crime would be much less effective. One option would be for police officers to visit schools and talk to young

people

.

This

could be useful in terms of informing them about what happens to lawbreakers when they are being caught, but young

people

are often reluctant to take advice from figures of authority. A

second

option would be for school teachers to speak to their students about crime, but I doubt that students would see teachers as credible sources of information about

this

topic.

Finally

, educational films might be informative, but there would be no opportunities for the younger to interact and ask questions. In conclusion, I fully support the view that

people

who have turned their lives around after serving a prison sentence could help to deter

teenagers

from committing crimes.