The issue of how to effectively deal with criminals is not a new one. Historically, punishment has been seen as the only effective way. But, especially over the last century or so. It has been suggested that punishment alone is not effective and that criminals should be provided with education and job training in order to make them useful members of society. In my opinion, most criminals deserve some kind of punishment, but the provision of education and job training could reduce the probability of a person returning to crime.
I believe that certain criminals, particularly those who have committed violent crimes, need to be sent to prison in order to provide the rest of society with some kind of protection from them. Once inside prison, they should not have the same rights as law-abiding citizens. In Britain, there has been a trend towards making prison life comfortable, meaning that prisoners have their own clothes and have access to all kinds of entertainment. I think that this encourages the attitude that ‘prison is not so bad’. This comfortable prison life should end.
However, I think criminals should be given the opportunity to learn and train for work while they are in prison. One of the biggest problems that criminals have once they are released from prison is that they find it hard to integrate fully into society. Understandably, companies are not keen to provide jobs to people with criminal records. This can often lead to a sense of hopelessness on the part of the former inmate and a return to crime. Education and job training should help convince employer. Perhaps the government could lead the way by providing job opportunities for former inmates within the public sector.
To sum up, I believe that education and job training should not always be used instead of a prison sentence, but that both together can make a difference if former inmates can find work after finishing their sentences.
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