Research suggests that many prisoners commit crimes again after being released. What are the causes of this? What should be done to change it?
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Sending to prison is the most common punishment for people who are found guilty in serious crimes. However, some research shows that prisoners tend to re-offend after the sentence is up. In my opinion, the main reason for this is the failure to serve the right purpose of imprisonment.
It seems that many prisons are built for the sole aim of punishment. Criminals are deprived of freedom for certain period of time to ensure the safety of other citizens. During this process, the nature of criminals is not necessarily changed towards a good direction. On the contrary, the fact that all kinds of criminals are put together gives them easy access to other offenders. As a consequence of this mutual influence, they are likely to develop a more vicious attitude towards life and society, and to commit crimes again after being released.
The solution to this problem is to make prisons fulfill the function of rehabilitation. The psychological reason for people to commit offense is their lack of sense of security in economy, relationship and other aspects of life. In order to reduce the odds of re-offense, their sense of insecurity should be diminished to the greatest extent. On the one hand, positive values of life should be imparted to them by giving educational lessons and psychological treatment. When they are properly taught how to be good citizens, they will be too self-disciplined to re-offend. On the other hand, they should receive vocational training so as to gain specific job skills. In this way, they will be better able to find a job by due means and less likely to have criminal motivations.
In conclusion, repeated offense should be attributed to the inappropriate application of punishment. Only by rehabilitation can they be reformed to be better and wiser individuals and integrated back into society.
