Some people think that criminals should not be imprisoned. Instead, education and job training should replace the former to deal with criminals. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
There are many different opinions on the best way to reduce crime. The traditional solution is to punish the criminals by putting them in prison. Some hold the view that education and job training are the long-term solutions to cut crime. In my opinion, prison is the only answer in a few situations, but in most cases, education, vocational training and rehabilitation are better.
Prison is the only answer in the case of criminals who are a risk to society, such as murderers. They cannot be made to mix with society. Some people also say that people would not be afraid of committing crimes if fear of imprisonment were not there. But I still feel that in the majority of cases, we can do without prisons.
In traditional prisons, people learn a lot about crime, so when they leave prison, they will commit even more crimes. In other words, prisons act as universities of crime. So, petty offenders like shoplifters and pick-pockets should be given some vocational training and education. It is a well-known fact that the basic causes of crime are poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. So, if we provide education and job training, then we would remove the causes of crime. If criminals are rehabilitated by some form of employment, then they will certainly not re-offend.
Furthermore, the prisons are expensive to maintain. The government can spend that money on other important matters such as education and healthcare. This would ease some burden on the government’s shoulders. The petty and minor criminals can also be employed in some community service projects after providing education and vocational training.
To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that we should hate the crime and not the criminal. To fight crime, we should focus on its causes. Education and job training help to rehabilitate the criminals. So, people who commit less serious crimes should not be sent to prison. The focus should be on reforming them.
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