Punishing all criminals equally is a matter of debate. Although it may eliminate the financial burden on the government and contribute to the reduction in the crime rate, equal retribution can breed resentment among the population and have an impact on the mental health of some criminals.
There are two key benefits to giving the same punishment to all crimes. Firstly, it can reduce public investment. If prison stands as an example of fixed punishment, it requires money for only staff salaries, food, and some rehabilitation projects, thereby minimizing the national budget. This is due to the fact that the government does not spend money on creating other forms of regulatory systems, such as a corrections camp. Moreover, having a fixed punishment serves as a deterrent to potential criminal acts. When individuals know about the possible consequences of their illegal activities that they are thinking of doing, they might avoid committing offenses, which in turn leads to a reduction in the crime rate to a certain extent. For instance, the presence of imprisonment for all types of crimes might prevent humans from harming their community.
These positive sides notwithstanding, the drawbacks of this argument should not be overlooked. One of the main side effects of the fixed punishment could be negative reactions from the populace. It is true that some people might commit crimes in light of self-defense or mental illness, and if the government mete out punishment for them equally as they give to criminals who are accused of wrecking havoc on the country, the public would become so annoyed. As a consequence, severe conflict may emerge between ordinary humans and the local authority.
Another main negative side is that fixed punishment, to some degree, exerts a devastating impact on the mental well-being of criminals, particularly young offenders. As the same punishment is also given to inexperienced young law breakers along with dangerous criminals, it can produce a number of detrimental effects, including shattering young offenders’ confidence as well as lowering their spirits.
To conclude, administering the same punishment to all criminals while ignoring the severity of the crimes they conduct is a controversial topic with both advantages and disadvantages. In some cases, the fixed punishment might help the government reduce the crime rate by preventing potential criminal activities and save the financial budget needed to organize other alternative forms of regulation. However, it probably causes social disputes among the public in that criminals, albeit committing minor crimes, receive the same punishment as murderers or terrorists do. This is also compounded by the negative influences it produces on their psychological well-being.