Some people believe that there should be fixed punishment for each type of crime. Others, however, argue that the circumstances of an individual crime, and the motivation for committing it, should always be taken into account when deciding on the punishment.
Discuss both of these two views and give your own opinion.
While some individuals hold a belief that particular crimes deserve uniform punishments, others assume a combination of criminal backgrounds and stimuli should be thoroughly taken into consideration before reaching a judgmental decision. Although both points of views are rational to some extent, I am more inclined to agree with the latter opinion.
On the one hand, a penalty is an aftermath one must receive in return for the agony or damage which he illegally exerts on individuals and community. Like medical remedies, which are vital to preserve a patient’s state of health, punishments function as essential deterrents to offences to maintain social discipline. By using uniform punitive measures, a society not only secures its safety but also sustains its equality.
On the other hand, a matter of humanity should be well considered before judging a crime. According to Punishment vs. Rehabilitation, which was published in 1991,when it zeroes in on a committed crime, punishment and rehabilitation are indispensable to tackle the issue efficiently. Personally, this can be understood that the ultimate purpose of penalties is the capable improvement of civilian awareness to strictly abide by rules and regulations. In other words, punishments should be rehabilitative rather than merely punitive. For that reason, a number of relevant elements such as motivations and backgrounds deserve judicial scrutiny. A committed robbery due to starvation or poverty, for instance, should not match such an offence driven by greed or laziness. In these cases, the former is worth a rehabilitative punishment to be back on right track whereas a strict retribution is crucial to warn the latter against his guilt.
In a nutshell, both supporters and defenders are logically right about the feasibility of using fixed punishments for each crime case, However, it would be more humane should an account of criminal backgrounds or motivations be well taken prior to making any legal judgments.