REHAB is the way to go!

•Which do you think should be the more important aim of the legal and judicial processes : punishment or rehabilitation ?


Terms
in this essay, aim is considered a purpose to be achieved; legal and judicial processes taken as the actions taken when a person breaks the law, and punishment is the infliction of a penalty on a person who has broken the law, while rehabilitation is the process of restoring an individual to a useful place in society especially through some form of vocational, correctional, or therapeutic retraining(diction).
Intro
After a crime is committed, the criminal will either feel remorse and guilt, knowing that he has done wrong or feel that he has done no wrong, and indignant that he has to receive such a punishment for something he feels is right. In cases like this, and the criminal pleads not guilty, will punishment change that mindset of theirs and prevent them from committing the offence again? Also, will criminals go back to their own paths because they feel that the society cannot accept and understand them? What good has punishment done for the criminals then? Thus, I feel that rehabilitation should be a more important aim of legal and judicial processes.
Stand
I feel that rehabilitation is the more important aim.

Importance of punishment
- serve to deter generally and specifically, to prevent potential offenders from breaking the law by enforcing extremely strict punishments like death for heavy crimes.
- Its uses have significantly cut down on ….
- Evidence(stats)
- However, the use of punishment has only helped significantly cut down crimes like murder; while other rates of other crimes like theft, arson, less severe crimes are not declining because the punishment is of no significant use
Also, further studies have also shown that punishment
Why is it not as important as rehabilitation?
Crimes that are relatively less serious, criminals will receive not as heavy punishment to successfully deter them from committing the crime again.


Punishment could possibly be done with reasons like protecting the general public’s interest above the interest of the criminal. It can be considered more important because it is the interest of the masses above the interest of the individual and his family. However, if punishment is used on its own, it would not have a as lasting effect as rehabilitation would bring. Punishment might not be able to eliminate the root cause of criminal behaviour, and could possibly only encourage the “self-righteous” criminals to rebel and do more harm because they feel that they are right. They will continue to pose harm, even after punishment. The only people who have benefited from their punishments would be those that are discouraged from committing the same crime.

Rehabilitation
Importance of Rehabilitation
- enable law breakers( for less severe crimes) to reintegrate themselves into society, continue to contribute to the economy
- it cuts down the social backlash they will receive when they are released from jail
- because efforts and steps are taken to ensure they are given a second chance.
- Enables wrong-doers to understand their mistake and wrong mindsets
Why is it more important?
- rehabilitation can help a greater scoop of people. Unlike punishment, whose effect of deterrence can only be significantly felt when offenders have broken law under drugs dealing, murder and more serious offence, rehab can reach and help people that belong to big group, where theft makes up 60% of reported crimes
- rehabilitation can also be put in place for criminals who have committed severe offences and sent for life imprisonment but still able to apply for parole. These people have to be sufficiently counseled before they can be released again into the public to ensure they do not create further harm.
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Example: The Prison School is set up in Singapore where continuous learning, self-discipline and self motivating is promoted. Education is the key to helping the offenders turn over a new leaf. They need to be equipped with skills, knowledge, restraint and respect for the law to continue to be on the right path even after they leave prison. The prison school provides the opportunity for prisoners, and give them a chance.

According to CNb, 60% of the offenders are repeats, and have been driven by reasons like poverty, desperation, addiction, or simply because the punishment is not heavy enough. If rehab was emphasized on instead of punishment, the rates would have be lower because rehab allows the prisoners opportunities to learn and know more from rehab programmes the prison arranges for them. Ultimately, it must be known that punishment and rehab all have one aim, and that is to help the prisoner. It can be seen from the figures that punishment isn’t helping much. Prisoners are not receiving the help they need.
Conclusion
Punishment will prevent people from committing a severe crime again, because the pain, the hardship one has to endure through the punishment is etched in their minds. However, we should not overlook the larger proportion of crimes, the small minute crimes that amount to a much larger community of 60% of reported crimes. Theft is commonly known to be the starting to criminal life. Offenders start from young by stealing, and from then on they spiral down the path of crime. If rehabilitation can prevent these people from going down that path from when they were young, wouldn’t that be even more effective? Punishment is what you get when you break the law, and pain comes with it. Rehab is turning over a new leaf, a new spark of hope. Rehab gives the offenders a chance. In life, we have to move on. Rehab teaches just that.


(:
"it is easy to see the flaws in people.but do you have what it takes to recognise the good in them?"

posted by GRACECHIA @ 11:13 PM 1 Comments