Prisons. Do they work?

 In school we were given an assignment to write an essay on what our views on prisons, and I thought it would be nice to share it with the world and receive feedback on the topic. Here are my views on the subject. Let me know your views in the comments sections below.

I partially agree with prisons because while prisons may  protect society from dangerous criminals it may also develop hatred within the criminal towards the society.

Statistics show that the more offenders are in prison the lesser the crime. Furthermore prisons contain the offenders and make sure that they deter criminals from committing crimes. They also assure society justice has been done by the law and that the  criminals do not have to take matters into their own hands. Prisons also make sure the law is respected by everyone and everyone knows what happens if they break the law.

However, as much as prisons are good to punish criminals there are also  factors that go against them. Data from 2019-2020 shows that the average expenses for managing a single prison is 44,600 British pounds a year. A criminal record makes it hard for the offender to get a job once he/she is out of prison. This might lead them back to a life of crime.

 Instead of sending a person to prison the judge may sentence the offender to community service. This will help the person reform and rehabilitate. The community service sentence has proven to be very effective. Research from The Ministry of Justice shows that community service is proving to be better than short term prison sentences and is 8.3% better at reducing crime from happening again.

 I think the government should focus on reforming  and rehabilitating inmates rather than punishing them and taking away their freedom by putting them in prison. This is what the goal of prisons in Norway . This method has proven that it works as only twenty percent of criminals reoffend in Norway. Norway has one of the lowest reoffending rates. But in the UK seventy five percent of criminals commit a crime within nine years of their release from prison and thirty nine percent within the first 12 months. This is a  big problem for the police.

In conclusion, I partially  agree with prisons because as much as there is a need to punish  criminal behaviour we should equally focus on helping them lead a better life. But if the offender continues to commit crimes they should be counselled to help  understand the reason behind  them committing criminal offences. If they have an understandable reason like being in poverty, we should try to help them by providing support to them. But if they do not have a valid reason, the authorities should punish them and make sure they pay for their crimes. This way with both punishment and reformation I think a country would become safer for its people.