Prison is the best punishment for criminals. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? - IELTS Writing Samples (2024)

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Is prison a good punishment for criminals? ›

Upon release, people with a criminal conviction face barriers to housing and employment. All of these factors make it difficult for people to move forward. A 2021 analysis of 116 studies found that prison time does not prevent people from reoffending and, in fact, can increase the likelihood that they will.

Discuss. The diagram depicts the reproduction process of amphibians in water.

Individuals behind bars cannot commit additional crime — this is incarceration as incapacitation. Before someone commits a crime, he or she may fear incarceration and thus refrain from committing future crimes — this is incarceration as deterrence.

On the positive side, prisons are seen as a way to punish wrongdoers, deter potential criminals, and protect the public . However, there are criticisms of the prison system. Some argue that prisons do not effectively fulfill their intended purposes of punishment, public safety, and deterrence .

Punishment has five recognized purposes: deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, retribution, and restitution.

The most serious punishment was execution, and many people were killed for their crimes. Over time, most countries decided that these types of punishment were cruel or ineffective, so they started using jails and prisons as places where people could be punished by losing their freedom for a specific amount of time.

Positive punishment generally refers to adding a stimulus to decrease an unwanted behavior. For example, if your child does poorly on a test, you might require them to spend additional time studying or if a child throws a tantrum over doing chores or neglects them entirely, you might assign them additional tasks.

Because prisons are designed for long-term incarceration, they are better developed for the living needs of their populations. There are also different levels to a prison, ranging from low-security to maximum-security.

Can prison reduce crime? ›

For example, a study conducted by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation found that the state's prison population had a significant impact on crime rates. The study found that for every 1% increase in the prison population, there was a corresponding 0.9% decrease in crime.

Jails and prisons, often overcrowded and understaffed, are frequently dangerous, dehumanizing, and traumatizing places where violence is largely “unavoidable.”

Arguments against mandatory sentencing include: (1) sentences are often greatly disproportionate to the severity of the offense; (2) the focus on particular kinds of offenses has tended to have a major negative impact upon certain categories of offenders and particular social groups; (3) removing discretion from judges ...

The likelihood of going to prison is highest among black males and His- panic males. Among men age 30 or younger, blacks have a greater chance of incarceration than Hispanics; among men age 35 or older, Hispanics have a greater chance of incarceration than blacks.

While typically, prison is considered a bit safer than jail, due to being set up for long term incarceration, neither are safe places to be. While you can mitigate your circ*mstances somewhat, the bottom line is, when too many people are crowded into one place and their needs aren't being met, violence is a response.

The main types of harm which prisons are said to cause are harm to physical and mental health, psychological stress, increased likelihood of recidivism, negative attitudes toward authority as a result of unfair handling of grievances, and problems with families.