IELTS writing task 2, please comment!

Some people believe that there should be a fixed punishment 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 sides and give your own opinion.

People have different views about whether policymakers should impose a fixed penalty according to the types of crime committed or they should consider the situations and motivation of criminals. Although imposing one type of punishment can sometimes act as a strong deterrent, I am of the opinion that other factors should be carefully checked.

On the one hand, a fixed penalty might cause fear among would-be criminals. Applying the strict letter of the law means that there is no exception and all criminals are treated in a similar way. By imposing this zero-tolerance punishment, there is a high possibility that people would be much more reluctant when they have the idea of engaging in criminals activities. Therefore, this method can prevent people from taking part in unlawful acts. For instance, if this approach was implemented, the juvenile crime rate would likely to reduce significantly because the public then did not tolerate teenage lawbreakers.

On the other hand, I believe that it is sometimes compulsory to break the law, therefore, judges should pay attention to the reasons for committing crimes. In situations like self-defense, people have no other choices than opting for a necessary evil. Therefore, it is unfair to impose the same treatment as other deliberate criminals. In addition, the motivation behind the crime also plays a vital factor when judging someone. There are cases that people violate the law but their action is morally and socially acceptable. For example, the press introduced a story which a young boy decided to rob a grocery store because his mother was in need of money for surgery and medical procedure. In my view, it is wrong to send this young man to the same prison with other serious robbers.

In conclusion, while many people encourage the government to punish each type of lawbreaker in a separate way to deter its citizens from violating the law, others, however, claim that it is impractical and unworkable to treat all criminals similarly. From my perspective, all factors surrounding the unlawful act should be scrutinized in order to have a fair penalty.

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