As the world develops, hundreds of thousands of inventions are introduced to help people in their daily lives, work, and studies. Unfortunately, those developments also bring out people’s worst personalities: greed, selfishness,…The crime rate these years has been increasing rapidly. To prevent this, some people think prisoners should do unpaid community service instead of simply being imprisoned. I partially agree with this statement and believe that both methods should be done depending on the situation, as this essay will elaborate.
To commence with, there are certain reasons why offenders should be made to work instead of just being locked up. Firstly, unpaid community service will help prisoners know what discipline is. The prisoners are shown the dire consequences of their actions which is getting them landed in prison and forced to work without pay. This leads to them valuing freedom more and will reduce the crime rates. Another compelling reason to support this notion is that this law addresses the issues that make an individual commit crimes. Community work may fill convicts with a sense of purpose and responsibility. For example, doing environmental conservation projects, like keeping the community clean and green not only benefits society but also gives prisoners a chance to lean towards a positive change. As a result, helping the community will give the convicts opportunities to positively and socially reintegrate into life outside prison. They will receive meaningful living experiences, which will definitely guide them in their post-prison life.
On the other hand, despite the statements mentioned above, I believe there are some cases in which this method has negative effects. Firstly, making prisoners work for industries and communities without being paid may not only fail to make the captives’ attitudes and personalities better but also form hatred among the jailbirds. The environment in many prisons is very harsh, including strict rules and wardens, and gross food as well. Not to mention there may be fights among the inmates. Imagine having to live through that and being forced to work unpaid as an extra. Incarcerated people will definitely feel angry and furious, sometimes leading to unexpected actions. Moreover, this notion may not be supported by others as this is a close display of slavery. The action of putting people to work with no wage is exactly the meaning of enslaving, and the criminals working long hours only to be faced with no money fit the picture of slaves. Organizations and groups are formed because they view the method as this. They are beginning to take action now, to fight for the abandonment of the notion. Not counting if the members are right or wrong, the actions are disrupting the government’s work and causing pressure on the governors. Last but not least, it’s not as effective as traditional imprisonment when it comes to teaching, both the public and the criminals. Some involved in serious crimes should be kept in captivity. If a killer or a raper easily repays their unlawful work by taking part in community work, they will not feel guilt at all. Those prisoners need time to repent and think back to what they have done.
In summary, although I agree that the method of forcing convicts to work can be used to punish those with minor offences, it cannot replace imprisonment in serious and more complicated cases. Therefore, in my opinion, we should enforce both of these ways to keep a balanced approach, enhancing social order.