Some people believe that there should be fixed punishments 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 views and give your own opinion.
Deciding a punishment for an offender is quite a baffling job for law enforcement agencies. Some people have the perspective of assigning fixed penalties to all the crimes irrespective of any other factors, whereas, others think that the seriousness and motive behind committing the offense should always be taken into consideration. This essay discusses both aspects of this topic.
People who believe that there should be pre-decided punishments for all kinds of criminal activities are right because according to them if people would priorly know the type of penalty they would subject to, this perhaps would create fear in their mind to indulge in barbaric crimes. Moreover, crime is a crime whether it is petty or heinous. Most of the time it is observed that from small crimes such as snatching chains or bags, criminals gradually start snatching precious human lives. Therefore, the criterion of fixed punishments not only discourages criminals from becoming murderers but also, helpful in maintaining peace and harmony in society.
However, opponents think that not all the crimes which fall in one category deserve the same punishment due to certain reasons. Sometimes the root cause of a criminal act is something or someone else. For instance, many times, elite people offer handsome money to innocent folks to kill or kidnap the rivals. So here, the offender deserves smaller punishment than that of the mastermind behind the same. Therefore, the stimulation and conditions of a crime should always be considered before finalizing the penalty to any criminal.
In conclusion, I strongly believe that full prosecution should be done rather than imposing fixed punishment to any miscreant. Factors such as the purpose and circumstances of the violation should always be included while making a decision.