You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Some people think certain prisoners should be made to do unpaid community work instead of being put behind bars. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer: [Agreement]
Crimes, in many countries, have gone beyond a tolerable rate and it is a common practice to put convicted people in prisons. A segment of society opines that not all crimes are equal and the repercussion of harsh sentence for all offences is uncivilised. They outline the need for unpaid community service as punishment for mild-offenders and youngsters and I also believe that certain offenders should be given non-custodial sentences.
The predominant reason for me to believe in voluntary community service like cleaning streets, planting trees, and working for charity instead of the prison sentence is that many offenders are not born criminals, and circumstances often push them to commit a transgression. Besides, when such unpremeditated convicts are expelled from society, they incline to re-offend in isolation as there is none to accept them. Apart from this, juvenile delinquents should be rehabilitated by indulging them in community services. A recent study reveals that many youngsters who had been in prison for a long time often end up becoming even bigger criminals.
However, brutal offenders who commit heinous crimes like premeditated murder, vandalism, abduction, hijacking, rapes and so on should be punished to set examples in society. Thus, the background of a criminal and the motif of a crime should be considered. For instance, if a teenager steals food from a store as his mother is starving is a completely different crime than someone robbing an old lady and stabbing her violently. The former deserves a second chance while the latter should be imprisoned.
To recapitulate, someone with no previous record of crime and a sensible reason for minor misconduct should be treated differently than a serial killer. The objective of the law is to maintain peace in society, not to punish people. Thus unpaid community service is a great option to let some convicted lament their crime and do something good for society.