Chris Yip
Nov 20, 2014
Writing Feedback / Crime and fixed punishments. Discuss both views and give opinion [2]
Some people believe that there should be fixed punishment for each type of crime. Others, however, argue that the circumstances of an individual crime, and the motivation of committing it, should always be taken into account when deciding on the punishment. Discuss both views and give your own opinion
Punishing criminals is neccessary to deter people from wrongdoings. Some say the punishment on each crime should be fixed regardless of how it was carried out or whether the defendants were forced to commit crimes, whereas, some argue how and why the crimes were committed should be taken into consideration prior to convictions. In this essay, both views of the issue will be discussed and the writer's opinion will be provided as well.
In regard to the former idea, the consistent punishment for one crime would be particularly beneficial to the governments in terms of finance. More specifically, every nation sets a budget for investigation into crimes and thte court process. When the individual criminal background becomes irrelevant, government can save money from the part of investigating into the roots of the crimes and the court process can be shortened by applying the same penalty for a certain crime. For example, if a person committed theft, they would receive a standard punishment, such as a serious fine
However, I firmly oppose the idea above because everyone hopes the punishment fits the crime. It would be certainly unjust if one person were sent to prison or even executed without regarding the considerable evidences and his or her age. Justifiable homicide could be a concrete example of this situation. Those who killed someone in self-defense should be sentenced leniently, rather than strictly liable to life imprisonment. Another case which is worth noticing is the juvenile delinquents who, for instance, were lured to smuggle weapons or deal drugs. Of course, doing community services would be a more preferable way of punishing these children than other types of harsh mandatory penalties.
To sum up, while fixed penalty for each type of crime would be only in favour of the government in terms of finance, the full consideration over backgrounds of the criminal activities are, In my opinion, essential to decide the punishments.
Some people believe that there should be fixed punishment for each type of crime. Others, however, argue that the circumstances of an individual crime, and the motivation of committing it, should always be taken into account when deciding on the punishment. Discuss both views and give your own opinion
Punishing criminals is neccessary to deter people from wrongdoings. Some say the punishment on each crime should be fixed regardless of how it was carried out or whether the defendants were forced to commit crimes, whereas, some argue how and why the crimes were committed should be taken into consideration prior to convictions. In this essay, both views of the issue will be discussed and the writer's opinion will be provided as well.
In regard to the former idea, the consistent punishment for one crime would be particularly beneficial to the governments in terms of finance. More specifically, every nation sets a budget for investigation into crimes and thte court process. When the individual criminal background becomes irrelevant, government can save money from the part of investigating into the roots of the crimes and the court process can be shortened by applying the same penalty for a certain crime. For example, if a person committed theft, they would receive a standard punishment, such as a serious fine
However, I firmly oppose the idea above because everyone hopes the punishment fits the crime. It would be certainly unjust if one person were sent to prison or even executed without regarding the considerable evidences and his or her age. Justifiable homicide could be a concrete example of this situation. Those who killed someone in self-defense should be sentenced leniently, rather than strictly liable to life imprisonment. Another case which is worth noticing is the juvenile delinquents who, for instance, were lured to smuggle weapons or deal drugs. Of course, doing community services would be a more preferable way of punishing these children than other types of harsh mandatory penalties.
To sum up, while fixed penalty for each type of crime would be only in favour of the government in terms of finance, the full consideration over backgrounds of the criminal activities are, In my opinion, essential to decide the punishments.