Imprisonment to lawbreakers has been a heated debate for years. While some people support imprisoning law offenders to rehabilitate them, others believe that those with better talents should work to make contribution to their own communities, or even national development. In my opinion, all lawbreakers should be reprimanded, irrespective of their outstanding skills or abilities.
On the one hand, engaging gifted or skilled lawbreakers in work supplies great workforce to local economy. They can maximize their talents through collaborating with their fellow colleagues at workplace, helping the companies or organizations they are working with attain incredible achievement. For instance, an offender with multiple language skills can perform well in translation for international meetings or dual-language documents. Eventually, they may end up playing an indispensable role in stimulating economic growth through their exceptional job performance. In some people’s mind, it is probably the best way they compensate their own offences and take on their obligations as a part of their society.
However, I think sentencing them to imprisonment is a more effective way to truly educate and rehabilitate them. Despite having outstanding talents, they should be given reasonable punishment based on the crimes they commit because only legal sentences can raise their awareness of their own mistakes, therefore transforming their mindset into positive one and preventing reoffences. To quote an example, the harsh conditions in prisons teach them the importance of freedom and the detrimental consequences of their misconducts. As a result, they reflect on their previous acts and internalise what they have learnt throughout the whole sentence to turn over a new leaf. Only then they will contribute back to their communities and countries because they have already understood the real meaning of social and civil responsibilities.
In conclusion, while some people suggest getting talented lawbreakers into workplace, I firmly believe that every offender should be sentenced to imprisonment to transform their mindset and educate them more fruitfully.