Some people believe that it is better to keep criminals in prison for longer, while others disagree and say that we must find a different solution. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Those who commit crime are kept in jails, but there are multiple views about the duration of their stay in lock-up. Many people say that law should put a culprit behind the bars for extended periods, whereas others demand some alternative remedies.
Detaining offenders in correctional facilities for stretched
durations can set an example in society that anybody who commits heinous crime
will get the same treatment. To exemplify, if a person convicted for violent
criminal activities like homicide comes is released within a few days, it will
lessen the fear of law agencies among the perpetrators of unlawful activities, thereby,
increasing the crime rate. Therefore, confining lawbreakers in a prison for
extended sentences is required in public interest.
Having said that, long term imprisonments can put a financial
burden on government since the operating expenses of prisons are very high .For
instance, basic things like food, clothes, electricity bills and many such
things are required for the jailed convicts, and in most of the cases there is
no tangible benefit generated from these centers which subsequently impacts the
budget of the country. Hence, the government should find some alternatives to
punish criminals.
Moreover, sending someone behind the bars for extended tenures
may not help. There is a need to establish initiatives aimed at rehabilitation
of such people such as training them in alternative trades, instead of
confining them for longer stretched, so that they can earn livelihood without
causing harm to the society and rejoin the mainstream.
In hindsight, subjecting someone to longer confinement just to
set an example is of no use since it will amount to wastage of a lot of public
money used for maintaining daily expenses. Using rehabilitation as a way to
reform such people can go a long way.