Task 2 ielts essay: prisons

Some people are of the opinion that prisons are basically universities of crime, fostering the kind of behaviour they aim to eradicate, and are, therefore, not effective/ others believe that prison life is not hard enough.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Many people have doubts about the role of prison in the criminal justice system; Some are of the belief that prisons are basically places for habouring crime, while others feel the life of inmates is too easy. While these views are true to some extent, I believe that prison plays a crucial role as a deterrent for would-be criminals and fair punishment to offenders.

Sentencing criminals to prisons incentives their bad behaviors. Prisons can be seen as schools filled with people who break the law, and this creates an environment that enables them to learn skills and techniques from their peers to commit crimes and even avoid getting caught. Moreover, just like schools, prisons are also operated as a small society, where there are different groups of people and the criminals who are in charge of that group. People who just want to serve their sentence and have a fresh start again are forced to join and follow the rule of those groups to avoid being alienated and beaten by others. As there are fights happening among these groups, violence is no doubt being ingrained in the members. Thus, putting people in prisons creates more potential re-offenders and increases the rate of violent crime.

A prison sentence is perceived as an unjust punishment as it is considered too soft. People often commit a crime when they have financial difficulties and are unable to be self-sustainable. When these people are sentenced to prison, they get three meals a day and a bed to sleep in. In fact, when going back to the community, they tend to commit a crime again as they still cannot make ends meet. As a result, the prisons just seem like free hotels for poor people, especially in developed countries, where the prisons are equipped with facilities that make the life of the inmates there more comfortable compared to rather expensive hotels in developing countries.

In conclusion, the constant exposure to all sorts of criminal elements and people who break the laws make the prison a place that is not conducive to preventing future offenses. The ways in which criminals live comfortably there also make prison sentences an ineffective form of punishment.