Ways to Reduce Crime (Essay Sample)

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Ways to Reduce Crime
In recent decades, the rise in crime rates has generated intense debate over human rights, particularly in industrialized nations. In the United States, imprisonment rates have tripled in the past 40 years (Kreager & Candace 261). Circumstances in jails have sparked widespread public outrage, and the efficacy of the whole system has been repeatedly questioned. The reformation efforts have stalled, and there is limited hope for quick transformation and political cooperation (Chettiar 123). While some believe that jail term is the most effective way to decrease crime, others believe that education, rehabilitation, and community service are more efficient alternatives to incarceration.
To begin with, serving lengthy, severe prison sentences allows criminals to be isolated from the public and be held responsible. The prisoner's sense of pride is shattered by incarceration, and they get just retribution (Mears 275). When criminals are placed in an environment with little control, they lose their dignity and independence, which aids in their rehabilitation. The harsh jail environment motivates prisoners to reform and serves as a deterrence to other potential criminals. For instance, the death penalty for serious offenders demonstrates a zero-tolerance policy toward crime. As a result of this, the dread of execution and jail contributes to a significant reduction in criminal activity.
On the other hand, research indicated that prolonged and severe prison term allows all forms of offenders to mingle long enough to spawn more violent crimes (Chettiar, 124). According to Chettiar, an alternative to prison includes education, rehabilitation, and community services that enable criminals to offer society something good and enhance a positive character. This technique is currently underutilized in conventional correctional institutions. These alternate initiatives should receive funding and be closely supervised by the federal government. Although this does not ensure that offenders are completely transformed, it is far better than absolute imprisonment without contributing value to prisoners.
In conclusion, although jail term is one method of dealing with offenders, it is ineffective in reducing criminality. The connection between the current rate of imprisonment and the frequency of c