Many people today believe that there should be fixed punishments for specific crimes. However, others are of the opinion that this approach is inappropriate. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Some people argue that mandatory sentencing should be used in some criminal cases.

However

, I would argue that adopting

this

kind of

system

is not the best course of action.

This

essay will discuss both points of view. There are a number of benefits associated with using fixed punishments for crime.

Firstly

, mandatory sentencing can make the

justice

system

stronger especially when judges are seen to be consistently making decisions that are too lenient. Occasionally, judges do not factor in the expectations of the community particularly in response to violent, sex or repeat offenders.

Secondly

, mandatory sentencing is considered fair by many people. Oftentimes the public complains that the rich are given special treatment or that the poor are treated harshly. Fixed punishments could be the answer to these problems.

However

, mandatory sentencing is not always the correct response to problems in the

justice

system

. The particular circumstance of a crime or criminal should never be ignored.

For example

, if a wife has been abused by her husband for many years and one day she snaps and kills him, the

justice

system

should have enough flexibility to treat her differently to someone who murders in a cold and calculating matter. Motivation is another key aspect that needs to be factored in when punishing crime. Crimes motivated by greed and power should be judged more harshly than those motivated by desperation or necessity. In conclusion,

although

there are some benefits related to fixed punishments, on closer examination, flexibility is critical to having a truly fair

justice

system

.

Therefore

, I believe that factoring in circumstances and motivation

are

Correct subject-verb agreement

is

show examples

critical if true

justice

is to be handed down.