Essay-T2_IELTS-proof-please

Some people think that the best way to reduce crime is to give longer prison sentences. Others, however, believe there are better alternative ways of reducing crime.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.

Nowadays every society is struggling with the problem of crime. While many are of the opinion that the best solution is to have lengthy imprisonments, others argue that there are more useful alternative measures towards crime reduction.

It is an undeniable fact that exemplary punishments, longer prison sentences in this case, have a positive and effective influence on criminals. Over a long period in prison, a criminal would have enough time to think about their guilt, and value their former freedom. In addition, the prison services could in the long-term better work on the criminals' mindset as to re-educate and rehabilitate them. Therefore, the probability of re-offending a crime by a offender after releasing from prison would be much lower. Furthermore, lengthy prison sentences would function as a deterrent for the would-be criminals who are thinking of turning to a first-time crime.

Nevertheless, the opponents of such an approach argue that keeping people in prison for longer periods means to mix with other criminals and, therefore, not only would it not improve the criminal's character, but it also would have detrimental effects both on the criminal and their family. Thus, some alternatives should be put to use in order to avoid the above problems. Community service would be a good point in case. It will first of all tackle the problem of the prisons becoming overcrowded, and then give the offender an opportunity to compensate for his crime by giving something positive back to society. Last but not least, such alternative measures allow the governments to focus their attention and resources mainly on causes of crime and crime prevention, which could lead to significantly lower crime rates in the long run.

In my opinion, neither approaches could for sure be regarded as an error-free solution to the reduction of crime. If longer prison sentences would be surely effective in all cases, we would not have countries today with extensive prison penalties and, at the same time, dramatically rising crime rates. On the other hand, relying too much on alternative methods to punish criminals would violate the sense of justice. There should be no way for criminals, especially those who have been convicted of violent crimes such as assault and murder, to escape justice. The judges and jurors in the courts should also make sure that justice has been served for the victims of any crime. As a result, I believe that a combination of long and short prison sentences has to be put to use according to the type of crime and the conditions in the prisons of a country in order to reduce crime rates effectively.

In conclusion, there are numerous arguments for and against longer prison sentences. Therefore, it is well-advised for the governments to look for different methods in order to make sure effective policies are in place.

Thanks in advance.