Is Jail The Answer For Criminals?
Every day we hear from newspapers that some person or other has been convicted for a crime and is sentenced to some period of time in jail. And, of course, we get furious when the judical system fails to protect the innocent victims. Especially if minimal sentences were given to criminals for horrendous crimes...
However, is jail really the answer?
Criminals should be punished without a doubt, but will sending more and more young people to jail solve the problem? Or... should we focus on the actual crime prevention more? I think that we are simplifying the problem by doing this. We should ask ourselves:
- Why are young people offending?
- Is the family to blame?
- Or is it that society's failing them?
- What is the Goverment's place and role in this problem?
- What kind of help can we offer?
The reality is that the whole society is responsible and should work together to prevent young lives ending in jails or, even worse, in coffins.
We need to remember though that PRISON doesn't SOLVE crime, in fact it's likely to generate it.
Why?
Because according to PsycologyToday, "if you land in prison, you will turn into an even more corrupt or violent person when you leave". It also states that imprisoning offenders makes them worse, as they learn more things from the other people also there, the "tricks of the trade".
If they have family's and authorities support, a role model/s, the right policies and rehabilitation opportunities, youth crime prevention programs, training for job opportunities and if they're standing in the right crowd, then they'll have a better chance to be decent citizens of their community.
The problem is OURS and we have to solve it; there's no point in turning our heads the other way.
Comments (14)
An interesting post! There was a news story in the past couple of weeks about this. The suggestion was getting rid of sentences that are six months or less, as they don't seem to work.
Can you do some further research on this, and tell me what you think?
Boutcher C of E Primary School 21 Jan 2019
I think that it isn't because once you are out of prison then you might think "Oh well I've been in here once I won't mind it because I've been in prison before.
Newbury Park Primary School 21 Jan 2019
I think that it isn't because facts state that criminals who stay in Prison for a long period of time, continue breaking the law and learn from other well experienced criminals.
Boutcher C of E Primary School 21 Jan 2019 in reply to Olivia @ the BNC's comment
I did a little research about this, and found an article by The Guardian similar to the one you say of. It states that public protection is essential, but over-crowded jails that, for example, are full of offenders with mental health problems or female offenders that are victims of abuse is not going to solve the problem. In the long term, it's really going to create more damage.
David Gauke (the justice secretary) points out that around 25 years ago, the prison population was 44,000 and today it is 84,000.
However, he thinks - and I totally agree - that it turns over-crowded prisons into a place in which offenders learn violence and drug use; "the tricks of the trade", as PsycologyToday and I say, but it doesn't help reduce re-offending or help rehabilitate.
I agree with this, because I feel it's more beneficial for the future of a peaceful society to teach the offenders skills, training them, educating them and trying to win them back to society, than just locking them up in some prison, making them more angry and vulnerable, which will make them end up in the same place all over again.
Boutcher C of E Primary School 21 Jan 2019
I found this at:
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/26/short-prison-sentences-do-not-work-says-justice-secretary-david-gauke !
John Ruskin 21 Jan 2019
I feel the family is the one to blame because they are not taking care of the member of their family . Even worse , if the member does not behave , he/she will cause a lot of crimes because we all know when we grow up , we do not need somebody to take care of us . : )
Well done for researching further. There's excellent curiosity and reasoning shown in this comment!
Boutcher C of E Primary School 22 Jan 2019 in reply to Olivia @ the BNC's comment
Thanks very much!
John Ruskin 22 Jan 2019
It's true that the answer for criminals is jail (including fines .) That was a good article content_lemon ! :)
Boutcher C of E Primary School 22 Jan 2019 in reply to generous_banana's comment
Thank you for the kind words! ʘ‿ʘ
Bruche Primary School 23 Jan 2019
I think prison is a half and half situation because if people get out of prison they could think that because they have been their before they wouldn't care going again or they could think that it is a horrid place and they wont do anything bad again !! thankyou for the good content
The Ruth Gorse Academy 23 Jan 2019
I do not think all prison sentences are ideal and effective for everyone because if someone only had a 2 month prison sentence then they would probably go back to their old ways and behave in a violent manner. However if the prison sentence was extended to around 9 years then the criminal would most likely understand that what they did was unacceptable and would try and change their violent acts.
John Ruskin 23 Jan 2019 in reply to generous_banana's comment
That’s true because jail teachers them a lesson to not come back
John Ruskin 23 Jan 2019 in reply to content_lemon's comment
👍
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