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Topic 69: Do you think it is better to send criminals to jail or let them receive education or job training?
In the public mind, a prison is a place to keep those who have done wicked things in captivity, in order that they will not contaminate law-abiding citizens. However, there is a growing concern in these years that imprisonment is a less effective form of punishment, and some alternatives seem to promise more satisfying outcomes. I agree on this proposed change, with evidence that imprisonment can be merely taken as the last resort.
Education is of critical importance to rehabilitating an offender. It first changes delinquents' attitudes toward society and family, a prerequisite to their reintegration into the community. It meanwhile allows them to keep in contact with the community, an opportunity that prisoners are normally deprived of. With the passing of time, they lose confidence and the ability to function prosocially. The risk of re-offending is thus higher. The third benefit is preventing offenders' peer group effect, because by receiving education in a proper learning environment, offenders have lower chance of reinforcing each other's antisocial and criminal behaviours in group situations.
Similar to education, work is one of the most important interventions in corrections, whether it takes the form of work release or vocational training. Money is the main inducement of many crimes, such as shoplifting, robbery, burglary, and so forth. Job training enables offenders to acquire earning capacity and improve job skills. By this they can become productive members of society and have the opportunity to behave normally towards family or occupation or society. Greater post-release employment success will, in general, lead to a lower rate of recidivism.
However, to those habitual criminals, who have committed crimes repeatedly and show little respect for the legal system, education and job training might not make any significant difference. This category of offenders gives little thought to their past or future. Their behaviours and thoughts are deeply ingrained and unbending, in which circumstance imprisonment is the best way of keeping them from being perpetrators. Meanwhile, imprisonment has deterrent effects and can deter potential offenders from becoming actual offenders.
To sum up, it is clear that the results of imprisonment can be mixed and it is only effective in restricting those who are very likely to commit repeated acts of violence. By contrast, education and vocational training suit those who committed less serious crimes, preventing them from becoming re-offenders after release and assisting them to reorganise their lives.
contaminate = taint = infect = influence
resort = alternative = option = choice
rehabilitate = restore = mend = re-establish = reshape = remould
offender = lawbreaker = delinquent
prerequisite = requirement = precondition
reintegration = blending
inducement = incentive = enticement
ingrained = embedded = deep-rooted = fixed
unbending = fixed = unyielding
perpetrator-criminal
Topic 70: Many people are afraid of leaving their houses because of the spread of crimes. Some think that more actions can be taken to prevent crime from occurring, but others think little can be done. What is your opinion?
The rise in the crime rate in the past decades has fuelled public worries about the rapidly declining safety of their communities. Some people take the position that little can be done to prevent themselves from victimisation. As opposed to this general pessimism, many people, however, maintain that in combating crime, people should adopt a proactive approach. I side with both of them.
The first point to support this is that the government can increase intervention, including launching anti-crime public campaigns, enforcing new laws, and providing education. A civilised society is characterised by a high literacy rate and a low crime rate. The negative relationship between these two parameters implies that one will be away from a life of crime if given the access to education. Another method relies on the combination of imposing tougher laws and training a more effective police force. Not only does it penalise those offenders but it also deters prospective criminals. Moreover, the government can capitalise on the mass media throughout the country to alert the public to the threat of crime and teach citizens self-defence techniques.
For individual citizens, many crimes can be nipped in the bud, if they keep vigilant at crimes and are brave enough to fight back. It is particularly true in cases where burglars break into houses without an alarm system, and shoplifters target those shops that are not under the surveillance of security camera. In simple terms, it is people's negligence that causes them to fall prey to the criminals. On other occasions, criminals are pampered by people's cowardice. If they possessed courage to chase criminals or at least report to the police on a crime, there would be fewer victims.
To tackle crime, as indicated above, requires the commitment of nearly all members of society, from the government to ordinary citizens. Although there might not be a great deal one can do to prevent crimes from occurring, it is not entirely helpless. Solutions exist somewhere always, but wait to be found and practiced.
fuel = increase = invigorate = stimulate
position = stance = attitude = opinion = view
victimisation = persecution
combat = fight = struggle with
side with = agree with = support = be in sb. 's camp
characterise = typify
parameter = factor
combination = mixture
tough = strict = rigid = stringent
nip crimes in the bud
vigilant = watchful = wary = alert = cautious = attentive
pamper = spoil
cowardice = spinelessness
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