According to the article, ‘Longer jail sentences do deter crime, but only up to a point’, significantly increasing the sentences would not be effective in disincentivizing certain individuals from committing crimes. What then do you think is a better alternative for the government to deter citizens from committing crimes?
(Source of Image) The Economist
When a criminal commits a felony, the court throws them into jail for an extremely long period. However, is longer jail time necessary and does it really deter crime more? For some criminals, excessively long jail time might deter future crimes. However, most studies and articles tell us that long jail times aren’t usually effective for deterrence affecting in deterring future and that it is a myth. In addition, according to a study, about 63% of offenders were rearrested for a new crime and were sent to prison. If the punishment is truly effective, there shouldn’t be so many re-offenders. I believe that instead of throwing criminals into jail for decades, social isolation is a good alternative to long jail times.
The first reason why this is effective is that it blocks all information from the criminals. By ‘social isolation, I don’t mean isolation from society. I mean isolation from all social activities such as communication, social media, or meetings. At least in jail, prisoners are given time to communicate with other prisoners and even meet their family and friends occasionally. In this process, they can receive information and even plan for future crimes they will commit when they get out. Instead of risking this situation, blocking all external information by isolating criminals from society is a better method of crime deterrence.
The second reason why social isolation is an effective alternative to jail time is that it can cause mental problems and extreme loneliness. According to a study, social isolation can cause many mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and PTSD. Although this reasoning might seem immoral and somewhat malevolent, this is effective as a punishment. The experience will remain as trauma and teach them what will happen if they commit crimes and re-offend.
In conclusion, I believe that the better alternative for long term sentencing is social isolation because it blocks any external information, which can prevent criminals from planning and preparing for future crimes and creates mental disorders that can remain a trauma for the criminals, also teaching them a lesson. Therefore, I believe that the world would become a safe place with lower recidivism rates if these alternative punishments are implemented.
Comments