Criminal justice plays a critical role in protecting people from harmful activities within our society by striving to punish lawbreakers and rehabilitate them whenever possible. In many countries, imprisonment is the most common punishment and criminals are sentenced according to the type and severity of crimes. Meanwhile, instead of stricter approaches, there is a statement that suggests an alternative to prison which is called “community service”. I would argue that other forms of retribution in some cases can be superior solutions for dealing with crime and they are more beneficial in societies.
There is a significant number of compelling evidence that seems like the traditional approach to justice is not working. For instance, People who are convicted of crimes go to jail, but when they are released they often commit the same, or worse, crimes all over again. So, It is obvious that prison could not be considered as a preventative factor for delinquents. In contrast, restorative justice programs provide opportunities for the rehabilitation of offenders through empowering specific professional skills and also accumulating job experience by doing unpaid work during the conviction period. As a consequence, it can be witnessed that these methods make offenders not only skillful but also more qualified for some occupations. Eventually, the probability of reoffending will decrease.
The other bright side that could be cited is the golden chance for both delinquents and the populace to re-create positive personal views. Anyway, one of the crucial intentions of guilties’ rehabilitation is to make them better citizens. By keeping them in the community and getting them involved in unpaid tasks for the public benefit, they not only learn new abilities as mentioned, but could also develop more empathy and care towards others. To cite an example, while participating in commonwealth duties they realize what they did wrong before and take responsibility for causing it. In addition, these programs allow the society members to give their side of the story. In particular, they often feel less afraid. As well as it helps to meet the offenders to put a human face on it.
In conclusion, other systems of criminal justice that focus on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with the community at large, for both society and criminals would be more efficient and beneficial. So, I strongly agree with the notion and the points presented support my opinion well.
