Please help to review my IELTS essay. Thank you.

Sending criminals to prison is not an effective method to deal with them. Education and job training should be used instead. To what extent do you agree or disagree.

Every year, governments spend a great amount of expenditure on measures to combat crimes in order to ensure safety for their citizens. Imprisonment is believed to no longer be effective, and that education and vocational training should be employed as alternative solutions. I completely agree with this point of view.

Sending criminals to jail is not working for two main reasons. Firstly, in prison, criminals are put together and they can learn about each other’s tricks; as a result, they would become more professional or dangerous criminals after being released. Secondly, a criminal record makes it intractable to be employed. Many prisoners who could not find employment are more likely at high-risk of reoffending.

On the contrary, education and job training are more effective measures to help criminals become better and more useful citizens. The lack of proper education in the first place often is one of the main and underlying causes of criminal activities. Therefore, if criminals can receive education, they can develop a better understanding of the causes and the consequences of their actions, the laws so that they can improve their perception and behaviour to abide by the laws. Vocational training, moreover, helps to equip criminals with necessary skills to re-enter the job market. Having a job can significantly reduce the chance of criminals to reoffend. At the same time, they can contribute to the community through their work.

In conclusion, I strongly agree that education and job-related skills training are more effective in dealing with criminals than imprison sentences.