From the dawn of history, humans have always tried to fight and contain crimes of

all sorts by enforcing different methods of punishment like death penalty,

excommunication, prison, and many other ways. Even during the most fruitful eras
of human history, crime has been a major part of the societal system. Poets,
politicians, legislators, and philosophers alike have busied themselves trying to
figure out a way to end crime and its grieve dangers. In the modern era, the penalty
of prison has been the most common way of punishment for different levels of
crimes. The important question which imposes itself strongly here is that: Can we
consider the penalty of prison as a successful method to refine criminals and fight
crimes of all sort? Throughout the last two centuries, prison penalty has proved to
be a failed system to contain, fight, and end crime, and researches have shown that
prison is not effective, as it does not reduce crime, despite placing criminals in
prison.

The logical way of dealing with the problem of crime rate will say putting
criminals in prison will inevitably lesson the crime rates in the streets; however,
the issue is not that simple. Surveys and statistics around the world and in different
countries and societies show that the rates of crimes are increasing each year.
When a survey was carried out by the crime survey for England and Wales
(CSEW) in 2015, they concluded that there was an increase in various types of
crimes, such as possession of a knife or sharp weapon (increased by nine percent).
This is along with the number of rapes being reported increasing, as the figure
reached 31,621 offenses and other sexual offenses with 63,861 offenses reported.
These were at their highest since the introduction of the national crime recording
standard in 2002/03. It seems that prisons aren’t effective in reducing crime as the
CSEW statistics show the crime rate is actually annually increasing.
Prison might not prevent someone from doing their first offence, but it will
certainly prevent them from repeating their offences once they are morally refined
in prison. Astonishingly, statistics show that most criminals repeat their offences
once they are put out the prison walls. According to the government statistics, the
highest age group for reoffending is youths between the age of 10-14, the rate
being 39.5 percent. Furthermore, The Telegraph newspaper has reported that re-
offending causes up to 2,000 murders, rapes and other serious and gruesome
crimes. Therefore, prison has failed in preventing not only the first crime, but also
the re-offenses after the inmates finish their sentences. The same statistics also
show that the re-offend mostly takes place within the first three months after the
end of their sentences. Probably, prison system doesn’t help inmates to choose the
right path in life and avoid harming themselves and others; on the contrary, it will
increase the possibility of turning a normal person with only one offence in his
register into a complete criminal. Logically, inmates will, to a great degree, repeat
their offences once they are out of prison. Here we must ask ourselves: Is the role
of prison to reduce criminals from repeating their previous crimes? Why doesn’t it
work like that? The answer is simple. When criminals and offenders are put in
prison, they are being placed in a violent environment full of every type of
criminals. For everything they will see and hear in prison from the other inmates,
they will soon duplicate after they get out. The Mirror newspaper has stated that
prison violence has increased by ten percent in 2015, compared to the year before
with a massive 14,262 offenses in 2014. Attacks on prison staff have soared by 36
percent. Therefore, prison can be seen as a dangerous place for those who
committed “minor offences” because they will be in a direct contact and under the
mercy of those who can be labeled “serious and dangerous criminals”.
Another point which must be taken into consideration is prison violence and the
safety of officers and workers in prisons. The psychological and physical pressures
that inmates suffer from in prison, their grouping together, and their shared aim to
get out will lead them to revolt violently and put their lives and the officers’ lives
in danger. This makes prison an unsuitable setting as the risk of violence is a
serious issue. The constant psychological pressure will force vulnerable inmates to
harm themselves and in some cases, unfortunately, commit suicide as The
Guardian newspaper stated that four people took their lives in Elmley, Kent in
2015 which had only 1,231 inmates. It has been shown that one in ten inmates
have, distressingly, self-harmed in 2015 across Britain.

On the other hand, many legislators see that the best and most human way of
punishment is, without a doubt, the prison system. Rehabilitation is sought to be
the most beneficial advantage of prison, for it can help people learn to cope with
life outside through rehabilitation e.g. improve their education/qualifications.
Through counselling, providing an education, gaining skills through work and
providing a structure to their daily life. This makes them less likely to re-offend. In
addition, many have considered that the fairest way to punish a criminal and give
justice to the victim is by depriving criminals from their freedom. Prison is a form
of justice for the victims. There has been a recent push to put victims rather than
criminals at the heart of the justice system. This is important as it helps the victim
to achieve closure if they feel that the prison is a fair punishment.

To conclude, while many are still hold the belief that prison is our only way to
abolish and end crime, observations, statistics, studies, and our current reality show
otherwise. Prison should be replaced with a more functional, effective, and helpful
system of punishment which secures the safety of the society and helps the
criminal to reintegrate in its environment and surrounding in a healthy way.
Thesis statement: Throughout the last two centuries, prison penalty has proved to
be a failed system to contain, fight, and end crime, and researches have shown that
prison is not effective, as it does not reduce crime, despite placing criminals in
prison.

Arguments:

1- Although many countries impose prison penalty, the crime rates are still
increasing.
2- Statistics show that most criminals repeat their offences once they are put
out the prison walls.
3- prison violence has dangerous consequences on officers and inmates alike.
 Works Cited

Crime Survey for England & Wales, www.crimesurvey.co.uk/en/HomeReadMore.html

Frazer, Lucy. “Prisoners with Strong Family Ties Are Less Likely to Reoffend.” The
Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 18 Jan. 2021,
www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/01/18/prisoners-strong-family-ties-less-likely-
reoffend/.

“Number of Prisoners in England and Wales on Suicide Watch Rises Steeply.” The
Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 Feb. 2021,
www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/10/number-of-prisoners-in-england-and-
wales-on-suicide-watch-rises-steeply.

“Prison Violence Crisis Revealed as Assaults and Self-Harm Rise to Record Levels.”
Mirror, 26 July 2018, www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/breaking-prison-violence-
crisis-assaults-12982757.
 Source Criticism

The Crime Survey for England and Wales has measured crime in since 1981.
Used alongside police recorded crime data it is a valuable source of information for
the government about the extent and nature of crime in England and Wales. The
survey measures crime by asking members of the public, such as yourself, about
their experiences of crime over the last 12 months. In this way the survey records
all types of crimes experienced by people, including those crimes that may not
have been reported to the police.

The Daily Telegraph, known online and elsewhere as The Telegraph, is a national
British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media
Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. The
Telegraph has been the first newspaper to report on a number of notable news
scoops, including the 2009 MP expenses scandal – which led to a number of high-
profile political resignations and for which it was named 2009 British Newspaper
of the Year. The source also includes the name of the author and year of
publication. The Telegraph has been reviewed by many to be an objective and
trustworthy paper.

The Guardian is generally regarded as a reliable news source. It has a long and
well established history in the UK, where it began as the Manchester Guardian in
1822. It went on to national circulation later in that century, and is now
internationally known, thanks in part to its online presence and editions in other
nations. What is reported as 'news' in the paper is generally regarded to be factually
accurate, and is very rarely called to account in a court of law as some of the
tabloid newspaper are. In fact, it has a reputation for quality investigative
journalism, a recent example of which was its publishing of some of Edward
Snowden's revelations.

The Daily Mirror, founded in 1903, is a British national daily tabloid-sized

newspaper that is considered to be engaged in tabloid-style journalism. The Mirror
is one of the most influential and well-known newspaper in the UK, UE, and all
around the world. It can be considered as a reliable source for its reputation as
being an objective newspaper which presents its ideas without any bias
whatsoever.