Prison As Punishment # Essay For IELTS

You should spend 40 minutes on this task.

Prison as punishment for criminals is a very effective way. Discuss.

SAMPLE ANSWER

These days, every time you turn on your television or flick through the pages of newspaper, you learn about the victims of crime. But what is the most effective way of combating crime? Some people believe that sending criminals to prison can help in reducing the crime rates. I agree to some extent with this opinion but firmly believe that prison is the place of rehabilitation but must be used only as a last option.

Firstly, life in jail is becoming quite money driven. Criminals with more money or power are often being offered services such as television, computers or sports facilities. Even more, in some cases they are provided cells that are different from others and are kept aloof. This creates a feeling of inequality and the idea that money is more powerful than law gets circulated.

Another reason why I regard prison as the last option for punishment is because in prisons, all criminals are kept together. So, for instance, a person acquitted of rape is kept with the same person accused of shop lifting. This results in the latter to open up more to the criminal world, increasing his/her chances of doing a crime.
However, prisons also serve as place for reassessment. It has often been seen that prisoners on realizing their mistakes, improve on themselves personally as well as professionally. This is mostly possible because of the various courses being offered to them.

All things considered, life in prison can be a good way to punish criminals but care must be taken on the details of how things actually function inside the bars. Personally, I believe prison must be the last option when all has failed.
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