Band 7+: Part 2: Some people believe that people who commit crimes should be sent to prison. However, others argue that there are better alternatives for minor crimes. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Opinions are divided on whether people who violate the laws should be punished in prison or sent to work as volunteers for the public services, especially for those who make minor mistakes. Although mitigating the punishments for the crimes may bring some drawbacks, I believe that criminals who make small mistakes should have a more lenient punishment.

Admittedly, adjusting the laws to punish people who make minor mistakes may pose certain threats to the awareness of policies in general and people in general. Regarding the former, a strictly punished regulation may not be enough to teach criminals not to violate the law again. This is because criminals will find out that the cost of violating is not much to consider; therefore, they cannot learn from their mistakes through punishment but can also repeat these problems constantly or even worse. A case in point is the rural or mountainous areas, where the government does not present a restricted laws on robbing and kidnapping; there is a tendency that people are more likely to commit crimes than in urban areas.

On the other hand, sending them to public or voluntary corporations instead of sending criminals who make minor offenses is far more advantageous for both communities and individuals. On an individual level, letting people who are aware of their mistakes and feel guilty work for the local community instead of assigning them a criminal record will play a role as a humane message to all the residents in that area that everybody can have a chance to fix their mistakes. On a community level, people who commit a small mistakes can also contribute to the area they live in, thus making them beneficial for the local residents and also letting the residents give them a chance to fix their mistakes. This proposition also reinforces the workforce of public services.

In conclusion, while lenient policies may pose certain threats to society, I am convinced that the merits it brings to individuals and communities are far more considerable than the drawbacks, making it beneficial overall.