For thousands of years, prison has played a pivotal role in human history as a tool of punishment. Some people argue that not all criminals are the same and it would therefore be more appropriate to give certain criminals community service instead. I agree that in some cases, prison may not be the best solution and community service would probably have more benefits.
On the one hand, one justification given for prisons is to keep society safe by removing criminals from the outside world. So the first thing to consider is if someone who has broken the law is a danger to other people. In the case of violent crime, there is an argument to keep the perpetrator away from society. Besides, when people are sentenced to imprisonment, they will regret their behavior. The low quality and the harsh life of the prison will ensure that no one is willing to come back to the premises. They are made to feel what they have done; however, sometimes, it can be exacerbated even after the punishment. The prisoners may get used to committing crimes during their time as they are always communicating with other criminals while living with them.
In spite of the above arguments, I support the view that such a punishment for those whose crimes are minor is too severe and those people could be asked to do some voluntary work or attend vocational training to learn some useful skills. By engaging in voluntary work, they could see the kindness and warmth of society and they could get positive feedback from others’ praises. This could form a virtuous circle and they will continue to help others after finishing punishment. Besides, vocational training could teach them some practical skills for them to find positions to earn a living, so that they will not steal or rob for financial reasons.
In conclusion, there are both merits and drawbacks to putting criminals in imprisonment. However, I believe that other means of punishment are better for disciplining criminals as they are effective and have less risk of crime escalation compared to imprisonment.