Recently, it is reported that a 14-year-old teenager was sent to clean streets as a purnishment after seriously damaged his school. This raised wide discussion and some people believe this is right and has a positive influence to the society, while others don’t. From my perspective, it is beneficial for both the boy and the society, despite several possible consequences.
On one hand, teenagers commiting crimes like causing a serious damage to schools should be put into prison in principle. The regulations and laws cannot be broken since it has been tested by the time, proving that following laws is beneficial to safety and stability of the society. As a result, not sending the boy to jail means disobeying the rules, which may cause negative consequence. For instance, the boy might not be fully recognizable that he had done something extremely harmful or still fail to control his emotions even after finishing cleaning the streets.
On the other hand, young criminals are just teenagers eventually and their faults could be treated differently from adult ones. First of all, teenagers are not mature enough and it is forgivable for them to commit extreme behaviors under emotional circumstances. As a result, it is necessary to remind them that opportunities could be given for them to realize their mistakes, where sending them to clean the streets would be a significant method. Instead of simply putting them into jail and leave them a irrevisable record, this behaviour enables them to appreciate the forgiveness from the society, experience the tiredness of labour work and think thoroughly about their own behaviour, which is may contribute to shaping a better human being.
Additionally, sending them to clean the streets not only has positive effects on the boy, but was also beneficial for assisting the street cleaner with their jobs. If all the teenage criminals were sent to do labour work, the workload of original labour workers could potentially reduce to a lower level, which boosts their well-being. The workers may even be freed from the repetitive labour work and turn to something more meaningfull, which has a implicit contribution to the economics and overall strength of the society.
In conclusion, I assert that sending teenage criminals to clean streets or even more labour work is beneficial to both the criminal as well as the society.