crime and punishment opinion essay

Crime and punishment IELTS model essay with vocabulary

Our band nine sample essays give you the opportunity to learn from successful essays that show off the best structure, vocabulary and grammar. This IELTS essay on crime and punishment explores the advantages and disadvantages of harsh punishment for criminals.

band Nine Sample Essay

In some countries, crimes are punished harshly. what are some advantages and disadvantages of this approach.

Several nations have opted to implement a system of strict penalties, such as long jail sentences and execution, for crimes. In this essay, I will explore the advantage that this is a good deterrent with the disadvantage that this harms rehabilitation .

Punitive measures can help deter future crime. If people can see that crimes will be punished harshly, they are far less likely to want to commit a crime . Because people consider risk versus reward before acting, making crime as risky as possible by increasing punishment can stop criminals. Conversely, when countries have light punishments for crimes like shoplifting , people in those countries might feel like it is worth the risk to do these crimes.

However, these strong punishments also increase recidivism by failing to rehabilitate people. One of the main purposes of sending people to prison is to prevent them from committing crimes when they leave; however, making prisons and other punishments too strict works against this purpose. When criminals have a heavily punitive experience, they lose self-confidence and become distrustful of authority , meaning they are more likely to be involved in crime when they leave prison. Alternatively, if prisoners have access to training and support, such as drug rehabilitation programs and anger management classes, they are far more likely to rejoin society in a productive way.

In conclusion, the correct punishment for crimes is a complex issue. On the one hand, strong measures deter crime; on the other hand, the same measures make it more likely for prisoners to reoffend .

crime and punishment vocabulary

Although crime and punishment is a common topic in the IELTS exam, there, thankfully, is not too much vocabulary you need to know for it. Let’s take a look at some of the high level vocabulary in this answer to kick start your learning.

An Essay on Crimes and Punishments

Cesare Bonesana di Beccaria (author)
Voltaire (author)

An extremely influential Enlightenment treatise on legal reform in which Beccaria advocates the ending of torture and the death penalty. The book also contains a lengthy commentary by Voltaire which is an indication of high highly French enlightened thinkers regarded the work.

EBook PDF This text-based PDF or EBook was created from the HTML version of this book and is part of the Portable Library of Liberty.
ePub ePub standard file for your iPad or any e-reader compatible with that format
Facsimile PDF This is a facsimile or image-based PDF made from scans of the original book.
Kindle This is an E-book formatted for Amazon Kindle devices.

An Essay on Crimes and Punishments. By the Marquis Beccaria of Milan. With a Commentary by M. de Voltaire. A New Edition Corrected. (Albany: W.C. Little & Co., 1872).

The text is in the public domain.

United States

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Crime & Punishment Essay Titles

IELTS Essay Questions for the Topic of Crime & Punishment. All essay questions below are reported by IELTS candidates and seem to have been repeated over the years. Regardless of the years the questions were reported, you could get any question below in your test. You should, therefore, prepare ideas for all questions given below. This topic is more likely to appear in the Academic test than the GT writing test. However, all candidates should prepare for all topics to be safe.

Crime & Punishment Essay Questions for IELTS Writing Task 2

The crime rate nowadays is decreasing compared to the past due to advance technology which can prevent and solve crime. Do you agree or disagree? (Reported 2017, 2021 Academic Test)

Many criminals commit further crimes as soon as they released from prison. What do you think are the causes of this? What possible solutions can you suggest? (Reported 2015, 2017, 2022 Academic Test)

It is often thought that the increase in juvenile crime can be attributed to violence in the media. Do you agree that this is the main cause of juvenile crime? What solutions can you offer to deal with this situation? (common question)

In some societies, the number of crimes committed by teenagers is growing. Some people think that regardless of age, teenagers who commit major crimes should receive adult punishment. To what extent do you agree? (2020, 2023)

Some countries are struggling with an increase in the rate of crime. Many people think that having more police on the streets is the only way to reduce crime. To what extent do you agree? (2018, 2020)

Some people think that women should not be allowed to work in the police force. Do you agree or disagree?

Many crimes are often related to the consumption of alcohol. Some people think that the best way to reduce the crime rate is to ban alcohol. Do you think this is an effective measure against crime? What other solutions can you suggest?

Some people think certain prisoners should be made to do unpaid community work instead of being put behind bars. To what extent do you agree? (Reported 2017, 2020, GT Test)

Many people believe that having a fixed punishment for all crimes is more efficient. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a fixed punishment? (common question)

Some people think that the government should be responsible for crime prevention, while others believe that it is the responsibility of the individual to protect themselves. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

The death penalty is the best way to control and reduce serious crime. To what extent do you agree? (2018, 2020)

While it is sometimes thought that prison is the best place for criminals, others believe that there are better ways to deal with them. What is your opinion? (common question – this is often reworded with a focus on the best ways to deal with criminals)

Crime rate, in most countries, is often higher in urban areas than in rural areas. Why do you think that is? What can be done to reduce the crime rate?

Some people think that poverty is the reason behind most crimes. Do you agree or disagree?

Internet crime is increasing rapidly as more and more people are using the internet to make financial transactions. What can be done to tackle this problem ?

Some people think that the parents of children who commit crime should also receive a punishment. Do you agree or disagree? (2020)

Reported essay questions are from students who have taken their IELTS test. That means questions may have appeared more frequently than have been reported. These questions may vary slightly in wording and focus from the original question. Also note that these questions could also appear in IELTS speaking part 3 which is another good reason to prepare all topics thoroughly.

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The Lockdown Lessons of “Crime and Punishment”

At the end of “ Crime and Punishment ,” which was completed in 1866, Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s hero, Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, has a dream that so closely reflects the roilings of our own pandemic one almost shrinks from its power. Here’s part of it, in Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky’s rendering :

He had dreamed that the whole world was doomed to fall victim to some terrible, as yet unknown and unseen pestilence spreading to Europe from the depths of Asia. Everyone was to perish, except for certain, very few, chosen ones. Some new trichinae had appeared, microscopic creatures that lodged themselves in men’s bodies. But these creatures were spirits, endowed with reason and will. Those who received them into themselves immediately became possessed and mad. But never, never had people considered themselves so intelligent and unshakeable in the truth as did these infected ones. Never had they thought their judgments, their scientific conclusions, their moral convictions and beliefs more unshakeable. Entire settlements, entire cities and nations would be infected and go mad. Everyone became anxious, and no one understood anyone else; each thought the truth was contained in himself alone, and suffered looking at others, beat his breast, wept, and wrung his hands. They did not know whom or how to judge, could not agree on what to regard as evil, what as good. They did not know whom to accuse, whom to vindicate.

What is this passage doing there, a few pages before the novel concludes? Recall what leads up to the dream. Raskolnikov, a twenty-three-year-old law-school dropout, tall, blond, and “remarkably good-looking,” lives in a “cupboard” in St. Petersburg and depends on handouts from his mother and sister. Looking for money, he plans and executes the murder of an old pawnbroker, a “useless, nasty, pernicious louse,” as he calls her; and then kills her half sister, who stumbles onto the murder scene. He makes off with the pawnbroker’s purse, but then, mysteriously, buries it in an empty courtyard.

Is it really money that he wants? His motives are less mercenary than, one might say, experimental. He has apparently been reading Hegel on “world-historical” figures. Great men like Napoleon, he believes, commit all sorts of crimes in their ascent to power; once they have attained eminence, they are hailed as benefactors to mankind, and no one holds them responsible for their early deeds. Could he be such a man?

In the days after the crime, Raskolnikov vacillates between exhilaration and fits of guilty behavior, spilling his soul in dreams and hallucinations. Under the guidance of an eighteen-year-old prostitute, Sonya, who embodies what Raskolnikov sees as “ insatiable compassion,” he eventually confesses the crime, and is sent to a prison in Siberia. As she waits for him in a nearby village, he falls ill and has that feverish dream.

For us, the dream poses a teasing question: Is it just a morbidly eccentric summation of the novel, or is it also an unwitting prediction of where we are going? Dostoyevsky was a genius obsessed with social disintegration in his own time. He wrote so forcefully that Raskolnikov’s dream, encountered now, expresses what we are, and what we fear we might become.

I first read “Crime and Punishment” in 1961, when I was a freshman at Columbia University, as part of Literature Humanities, or Lit Hum, as everyone calls it, a required yearlong course for entering students. In small classes, the freshmen traverse such formidable peaks as Homer’s and Virgil’s epics, Greek tragedies, scriptural texts, Augustine and Dante, Montaigne and Shakespeare; Jane Austen entered the list in 1985, and Sappho, Virginia Woolf, and Toni Morrison followed. I took the course again in 1991, writing a long report on the experience. In the fall of 2019, at the border of old age—I was seventy-six—I began taking it for the third time, and for entirely selfish reasons. In your mid-seventies, you need a jolt now and then, and works like “ Oedipus Rex ” give you a jolt. What I hadn’t expected, however, was to encounter catastrophe not just in the pages of our reading assignments but far beyond them.

In April, when the class began eight hours of discussion about “Crime and Punishment,” the campus had been shut down for four weeks. The students had arrived in New York the previous fall from a wide range of places and backgrounds, and now they had returned to them, scattering across the country, and the globe—to the Bronx, to Charlottesville, to southern Florida, to Sacramento, to Shanghai. My wife and I stayed where we were, in our apartment, a couple of subway stops south of the university, sequestered, empty of purpose, waiting for something to happen. I trailed listlessly around the apartment, and found it hard to sleep after a long day’s inactivity. I loitered in the kitchen in front of a small TV screen, like a supplicant awaiting favor from his sovereign. Ritual, the religious say, expresses spiritual necessity. At 7 P.M. , I stood at the window, just past the TV, and banged on a pot with a wooden spoon, in the city’s salute to front-line workers in the pandemic. Raskolnikov has been holed up in his room for a month at the beginning of “Crime and Punishment.” Thirty days, give or take, was how long I had been cut off from life when I began reading the book again.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, instead of making my way across College Walk and up the stairs to a seminar room in Hamilton Hall, I logged on to our class from home. The greetings at the beginning of each class were like sighs—not defeated, exactly, but wan. Our teacher, as always, was Nicholas Dames, a fixture in Columbia’s English Department. Professor Dames is a compact man in his late forties, with dark, deep-set eyes and a touch of dark mustache and dark beard around the edge of his jaw. He has been teaching Lit Hum, on and off, for two decades. He has one of those practiced teacher’s voices, a little dry but penetrating, and the irreplaceable gift of never being boring. At the beginning of the class, his face shadowed by two glaring windows on either side of him, he would struggle for a moment with Zoom. “This doesn’t feel like the experience we all signed up for,” he said. He couldn’t hear the students breathe, or feel them shift in their chairs, or watch them take notes or drift off. But his voice broke through the murk.

A man dressed in a Beatlesesque suit sits on a bench and looks for love in the petals of a flower.

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Nick Dames led the students through close readings of individual passages, linking them back, by the end of class, to the structure of the entire book. He is also a historicist, and has done extensive work on the social background of literature. He wanted us to know that nineteenth-century Petersburg—which Dostoyevsky miraculously rendered both as a real city and as a malevolent fantasy—was an impressive disaster. In the early eighteenth century, Peter the Great had commanded an army of architects and disposable serfs to build the place as a “rational” enterprise, intended to rival the great capitals of Western Europe. But, Professor Dames said, “ecologically, it was a failure.” Prone to flooding, the city had trouble disposing of sewage, which often found its way into the drinking water; in 1831, Petersburg was devastated by a cholera epidemic, and ordinary citizens, battered by quarantines and cordons, gathered in protests that turned into riots. After 1861, when Alexander II abolished serfdom, Professor Dames said, peasants came pouring in, looking for work. It was an unhealthy place, and it “wasn’t built for the population it was starting to have.” He put a slide on the screen, with a quotation from “The Metropolis and Mental Life” (1903), by the German sociologist Georg Simmel:

The psychological basis of the metropolitan type of individuality consists in the intensification of nervous stimulation which results from the swift and uninterrupted change of outer and inner stimuli . . . the rapid crowding of changing images, the sharp discontinuity in the grasp of a single glance, the unexpectedness of onrushing impressions.

“The rootlessness that Simmel writes about comes from detachment and debt,” Professor Dames said. “And it produces a constant paranoia—a texture of the illogical. And dreams become very important.”

Dostoyevsky ignores the magnificent imperial buildings, the huge public squares. He writes about street life—the voluble drunks, the lost girls, and the hungry children entertaining for kopecks. His Petersburg comes off as a carnival world without gaiety, a society that is neither capitalist nor communist but stuck in some inchoate transitional situation—an imperial city without much of a middle class. It seems to be missing the one aspect of life that insures survival: work. “With very few exceptions, everybody in the novel rents,” Professor Dames observed. “They are constantly moving among apartments that they can’t afford.” Social ties were frayed. “And the absence of social structure destroys families,” he said. “To the extent that families exist, they are really porous.”

Cast in this light, Raskolnikov’s rage against the pawnbroker looked quite different. He and a few of the other characters are barely clinging to remnants of status or wealth: a dubious connection with a provincial nobleman; a tenuous prospect of a meaningless job; or a semi-valuable possession, like an old watch. No wonder they hate the pawnbroker who helps keep them afloat, Alyona Ivanovna, “a tiny, dried-up old crone, about sixty, with sharp spiteful little eyes.” Raskolnikov is in a wrath of dispossession.

The city that Dostoyevsky experienced and Raskolnikov inhabited had long been a hothouse of reformist and radical ideas. In 1825, Petersburg was the center of the Decembrist Revolt, in which a group of officers led three thousand men against Nicholas I, who had just assumed the throne. The Tsar broke the revolt with artillery fire. In the late eighteen-forties, Dostoyevsky, then in his twenties, was a member of the Petrashevsky Circle, a group of literary men who met regularly to discuss reorganizing Russian society (which, for some members, included the overthrow of the tsarist regime). He was arrested, subjected to a terrifying mock execution, and sent off to Siberia, where he pored over the New Testament. By the time he returned to Petersburg, in 1859, he believed in Mother Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church, and hated both radicalism and bourgeois liberalism. He put his ideological shift to supreme advantage: he was now the master of both radical and reactionary temperaments. “Crime and Punishment” is a religious writer’s notion of what happens to an unstable young man possessed by utopian thinking. Dostoyevsky certainly knew what was simmering below the surface: in March, 1881, a month after the novelist died, two bomb-throwers from a revolutionary group assassinated the reformist Tsar Alexander II in Petersburg. Thirty-six years later, Lenin returned to the city from exile and led the Bolsheviks to power. Raskolnikov was a failed yet spiritually significant spectre haunting the ongoing disaster.

The lively discussions around our seminar table earlier in the year were hard to sustain among so many screens; the students were often silent in their separate enclosures. But, as Professor Dames sorted through the form of the novel and the many contradictions of Raskolnikov, one student, whom I’ll call Antonio, burst out of the dead space.

“He’s arrogant,” Antonio said. “Self-righteous.” He noted that Raskolnikov seemed unbound by the rules that bound others. “But there’s something very appealing about this great-man idea,” he ventured. “Is this possible? Could somebody incarnate ‘the world spirit’ by murdering two women with an axe and getting away with it flawlessly? That some of us are rooting for Raskolnikov is a reflection of that question. Is someone really capable of rationalizing such a horrible action? After the twentieth century, this becomes a challenging question. What kind of person would you have to be to get away with it?”

Antonio, from Sacramento, was slender, a runner, with large glasses and a radiant smile. He had had a good education in a Jesuit school, and, at nineteen, he was erudite and attentive, abundant in sentences that sounded as if they could have been written. Listening to him, you heard a flicker of identification with the theory-minded murderer.

For all Raskolnikov’s sullen self-consciousness, he has moments of fellow-feeling and righteous anger. His family and friends adore him; even the insinuating and masterly investigator, Porfiry, believes that dear Rodya is worth fighting for. In our class, Raskolnikov’s feelings about the vulnerability of women—an important issue in “Crime and Punishment”—stirred a number of students, especially one I’ll call Julia, who often returned to the theme. There was the matter of Raskolnikov’s sister, Dunya, a provincial beauty, extremely intelligent but almost impoverished and therefore the victim of insolent monetary bids for her hand from two despicable middle-aged suitors. The situation incenses Raskolnikov.

“He firmly believes his sister is prostituting herself,” Julia said. “He has what seems to me a very radical and even progressive thought—marriage is a form of prostitution, a form of slavery. It’s kind of Catharine MacKinnon.”

Julia, who came from a Catholic Cuban family, had been an embattled feminist in her South Florida high school, which was filled with MAGA boys. In class, she hesitated for a second, but then, grinning in complicity with herself, moved swiftly through complicated feminist and social-justice ideas. Raskolnikov was a puzzle for her. “He’s using this philosophical defense to separate himself from the murder,” she said. Yet he wants to protect women, not just his sister but hapless young girls in the street. Was his interest a case of male “triumphalism”—a way of enhancing his power over women by helping them? Dostoyevsky’s writing about the subservient status of women was as outraged as anything the Brontës had produced, with the Russian additive of persistent violence. The male characters, telling stories in jocular tones, assume their right to beat women. “ ‘She’s my property,’ ” Julia mimicked. “ ‘I could have beaten her more.’ ” In the course of the novel, three different women, all given to extravagant tirades—a Dostoyevsky specialty—fall apart and die in early middle age.

I couldn’t escape the novel’s larger theme of decline: the incoherence of Petersburg, the breakdown of social ties, the drunkenness and violence. At that moment in April, our own city felt largely empty, but I often imagined American streets filled with jobless people, some clinging to hopes of returning to work, many without such hopes. We were halfway through the novel, halfway to the confusion and proud madness of Raskolnikov’s dream. Would we go the other half? Julia’s feminist reading, new for me, opened still another connection. The newspapers were reporting that domestic abuse had gone up among couples locked together. Women were now being punished, as the critic Jacqueline Rose would note, for the recent liberties they had achieved.

Looking for present-day resonances, I knew, was a grim and limited way of reading this work. “Crime and Punishment” is about many things—the psychology of crime, the destiny of families, the vanity and anguish of single men adrift. But, midway through the book, Dostoyevsky’s writerly exuberance allayed my worries. He’s an inspired entertainer, with his own hectic style of comedy. His characters show up reciting their troubles and lineages, their lives “hanging out on their tongues,” as the critic V. S. Pritchett put it. I was now sequestered in a welter of betrayals and loyalties, gossip and opinion: the assorted virtuous and vicious people in the book believe in manners, but they never stop talking about one another. Even the company of Dostoyevsky’s buffoons was liberating.

And Dostoyevsky’s extremity—his savage inwardness, his apocalyptic feverishness—had never felt so right. How many millions were now locked in their rooms muttering vile thoughts to themselves, or wondering about the point of their existence? He wrote about the absolute rationality of evil and the absurd necessity of goodness. He taunted himself and his readers with alarming propositions: What happens to man without God and immortal life? Big questions can result in banality, but when an idea is put forward in Dostoyevsky’s fiction it goes someplace—runs up against an opposing one, or is developed and refuted two hundred pages later. Such contradictions notably exist within characters. Dostoyevsky turned Raskolnikov’s unconscious into a field of action.

The students had returned to familiar surroundings (dogs barked in the background), but they had three or four other courses—not to mention all the anxieties of a precarious future—to contend with. Their college careers were messed up, their friendships interrupted, their campus activities and summer internships wiped out. As we read together in April, the university’s hospital, New York-Presbyterian, was filled with victims of the pandemic. Across the city, hundreds of them were dying every day. So many elements of our civilization had shut down: churches, schools, and universities; libraries, bookstores, research institutes, and museums; opera companies, concert organizations, and movie houses; theatre and dance groups; galleries, studios, and local arts groups of all kinds (not to mention local bars). Who knew what would perish and what would come back?

Two cats look at an unshreddable midcentury chair.

The students were discomfited, often quiet, almost abashed. In between classes, they sent Professor Dames their responses to the reading, and he used their notes to pull them into the conversation. As we approached the final dream and its awful picture of social breakdown, I continued searching the novel for indications of what could summon so dreadful a vision—and also of what suggested its opposite, a possibly more benevolent world that was also presaged by Dostoyevsky’s whirling contraries. In class, the conversation turned toward questions of moral indifference and sympathy. What obligations did we have to one another? Was there any redemptive value in suffering? For Americans, that last question was strange, even repellent, but in mid-April the language of hardship was all around us.

Antonio remained fascinated by the idea that one might achieve greatness by doing wrong in the service of a larger right. But during the crime itself Raskolnikov falls into an abstracted near-trance and does one stupid thing after another. Antonio had noted that Raskolnikov, standing in a police station, faints dead away when someone mentions the pawnbroker: “His body shuts off. The consequences of the act become unstoppable, even if you try to take intellectual approaches to prevent yourself from getting caught.” Antonio’s flirtation with the murderer was short-lived.

Raskolnikov blurts out many griefs and ambitions, but is never able to say exactly what propelled his actions. Dostoyevsky doesn’t want the reader to solve the mystery: he makes the crime both overdetermined and incoherently motivated. It was hard to judge a young man so intricately composed, and, when Professor Dames asked, “Do we want him to get away with it?,” he got no better than a mixed response. Raskolnikov wants, and doesn’t want, to escape punishment. His sulfurous inner monologues alternate between contempt for others and contempt for himself. Professor Dames, answering his own question, said that Dostoyevsky creates extraordinary suspense, but it’s psychological suspense: “Is he going to crack?”

Dostoyevsky intended moral suspense as well: Would Raskolnikov come to recognize that what he did was absolutely wrong? In the last third of the novel, the gentle but persistent Sonya offers a way out for him. “She’s not coming to Raskolnikov from a position of judgment,” Professor Dames said, “nor from a position of implied moral superiority. She’s saying, ‘We are two sinners.’ ” A deeply religious girl, she had taken to working the streets in a failed effort to save her crumbling family, and must endure Raskolnikov’s taunt that she has given up her happiness for nothing. In return, she presses him hard: Was he capable of acknowledging his own misery? The subsequent conversion of the snarling former student to Sonya’s doctrine—the necessity of suffering and salvation through Christ—is perhaps the most resolutely asexual seduction in all of literature. What could it mean for us?

In the next class, we were guided through the epilogue. Raskolnikov is in a prison camp, and Dostoyevsky’s narration shifts to a more removed, third-person voice. “For the first time, we’re outside Raskolnikov’s head in a sustained way,” Professor Dames said. “We’re separated from psychology, and it feels like a loss.” But Julia said she felt “relief,” and quoted the narrator’s remark about Raskolnikov: “Instead of dialectics, there was life.” By dialectics, Dostoyevsky meant all the theories plaguing the former student. A young man with a head crammed full of ideas, Raskolnikov needed “air.”

And what was “air” in this claustrophobic novel? The word, Professor Dames said, “was an articulation of something transcendental, certainly religious.” Julia was right to steer us to the line “Instead of dialectics, there was life.” It was the most important sentence in the novel. “But what is meant by ‘life’?” Professor Dames asked. Raskolnikov tries strenuously to shape that life, but in the end transcendence comes from a surrender of individuality, not an assertion of it. “The novel is a strong rebuke to individual happiness and individual rights and autonomy,” he said. At the end of the class, Zoom froze on Professor Dames, and he remained immobile on my screen, his dark eyes staring straight ahead. We all needed air.

The final dream is lodged in the novel’s epilogue. That dream is a creepy invention, evoking the genres of science fiction and horror: “Here and there people would band together, agree among themselves to do something, swear never to part—but immediately begin something completely different from what they themselves had just suggested, begin accusing one another, fighting, stabbing.” The struggle has a sinister dénouement: the few survivors of the disease are “pure and chosen, destined to begin a new generation of people and a new life.” The dream presents a vision of society even more feral than the author’s rendering of Petersburg earlier in the novel. Surely it’s also an extreme expression of Raskolnikov’s mind: having murdered two people, he now wants to murder the multitudes. But isn’t it the opposite as well? An expression of Raskolnikov’s sympathy, a boundless pity for a collapsing world? He remains complex and contradictory to the end.

I wasn’t the only reader in April to be alarmed by the dream of an “unknown and unseen pestilence.” As Julia wrote me in an e-mail, the dream was science fiction, but political science fiction; the notion of a few special survivors suggested a master race, a new form of white male privilege. She also saw the dream as reflecting on us. “I noticed that the infected persons who are stubborn in their beliefs to the point of madness bear a striking resemblance to Americans trying to talk politics,” she wrote. “The mobs of people described by Dostoyevsky recalled photos I saw of conservative folks in Michigan protesting stay-at-home orders at the capitol. The expressions on their faces and their screams, so convinced that their moral convictions are correct.” And Antonio wrote to me that “people can’t agree on what’s right and wrong, and, in our case, we know that ambiguity concerning the future can make people restless and highly partisan when reason and compassion is what’s needed in this situation.” His hope was that “we can humble ourselves enough to realize where we’ve gone wrong, to throw ourselves at the feet of the ‘insatiable compassion’ that Sonya represents and emerge better people. If we can do that, then we won’t have to simply survive.”

Two months later, my classmates had survived one experiment—the strangeness of intimate reading through remote learning. But the struggle for clarity and understanding had intensified on so many fronts. I thought of all the people acting with courage and generosity, not just the front-line warriors and the outsiders who rushed to New York to help when the outbreak began but the many people who created communities of faith or art online, or sent out all manner of useful advice on how to resist despair. The marchers protesting the murder of George Floyd and all that it symbolizes risked disease to express solidarity with one another. As the summer began, Antonio, to make money, found work at a nearby country club—cleaning floors, windows, and golf carts. He told me that it was hard for him to “think about the future, because of the current situation, with the protests and the pandemic,” although he didn’t rule out a job in government. Julia was interning for a legal nonprofit, and making plans to become a human-rights lawyer, perhaps for Amnesty International.

Every day, in Trump’s America, it seemed as though we were coming closer to the annihilating turmoil—the mixed state of vexation and fear—in Raskolnikov’s dream. The disease was everywhere, and it only heightened our world’s fissures and inequities. More than a hundred thousand had died, tens of millions were unemployed, many were hungry, and, at times, the country appeared to be unravelling. Some spoke of racism as a “virus,” the American virus; and the language of disease, though it miscasts a human-made scourge as a natural phenomenon, captures just how profoundly it has infiltrated the life of the country. The President’s every statement, meanwhile, was designed to widen chaos. He spoke of the need to “dominate,” and many of us were determined not to be dominated. We would not lose our individuality, like the poor murderer in his exile. But neither could we escape responsibility for the mess we had made, a mess we had bequeathed to the students, and to all of the next generation. I kept returning to Dostoyevsky’s book, looking for signs of how collective purpose can heal social divisions and injustices, stoking hope and resolve alongside fear, anything that would overtake the desperate anomie that Raskolnikov’s dream had conjured: “In the cities, the bells rang all day long: everyone was being summoned, but no one knew who was summoning them or why.” ♦

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IELTS essay Crime and Punishment

Crime and punishment.

This blog teaches you how to write essays on the topic of Crime and Punishment.

It includes the following:

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲:

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞:

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬:

𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬:

𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐄𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐲:

Capital Punishment: the legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime.
Detention: the action of detaining someone or the state of being detained in official custody.
Forensics: scientific tests or techniques used in connection with the detection of crime.
Incarceration: the state of being confined in prison; imprisonment.
Juvenile Delinquency: the habitual committing of criminal acts or offenses by a young person, particularly one below the age at which ordinary criminal prosecution is possible.
Misdemeanor: a minor wrongdoing; a non-indictable offense, regarded in the US (and formerly in the UK) as less serious than a felony.
Probation: the release of an offender from detention, subject to a period of good behavior under supervision.
Rehabilitation: the action of restoring someone to health or normal life through training and therapy after imprisonment, addiction, or illness.
Restorative Justice: a system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large.
Sentencing: the declaration of a punishment assigned to a defendant found guilty by a court, or fixed by law for a particular offense.

Crime and punishment are critical components of any society’s legal and moral framework, reflecting how a community upholds justice and social order. This topic encompasses the various aspects of the criminal justice system, the ethics of punishment, and the effectiveness of different punitive measures. Understanding these elements is essential for fostering a safer, more just society.

Debates in the realm of crime and punishment often revolve around the effectiveness and morality of various forms of punishment, such as capital punishment versus life imprisonment. Proponents of harsher sentencing argue that severe penalties deter crime more effectively. In contrast, advocates for rehabilitative approaches emphasize the potential for reducing recidivism through programs focused on reintegrating offenders into society. Another area of contention is the application of restorative justice and its role in healing communities versus traditional punitive measures.

𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Internationally, the debate over the abolition of the death penalty in various countries continues to evoke strong opinions on both sides.

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 these views and give your own opinion.

Some people believe that a uniform set of legal consequences should be applied to all offences, while others contend that the specific details and reasons behind each crime should be taken into account when determining the suitable penalty. This essay discusses both views and explains why I believe that the best approach would utilise both types of sentences depending on the severity of the case.

Advocates for fixed legal consequences have two main arguments. The main one is that a standardised approach ensures equality in the justice system. For instance, traffic violations typically incur set fines, which means that all lawbreakers receive the same penalty for the same criminal acts. Moreover, victims of crimes can feel that equity is upheld. This is because they can have clear expectations about the punishment perpetrators will receive.

Conversely, people who believe it is better to decide the penalty on a case-by-case basis, argue that such an approach neglects the nuances of individual cases. They assert that true justice requires consideration of the context of each crime, such as any mitigating circumstances. For instance, killing a person in self-defence should be treated differently than premeditated murder. Furthermore, in some cases where the perpetrator has suffered from an unusually harsh background, rehabilitation should be prioritised over retribution. For example, addiction or mental health issues may warrant treatment and support rather than strict prison sentences.

In conclusion, I believe both sides of the argument have merits. However, an ideal approach is to use fixed disciplinary actions for minor offences as they offer clarity and deterrence; however, for major offences where the consequences are severe, the circumstances should be considered to account for the intricacies of each case.

𝐒𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞:

78 Crime and Punishment Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best crime and punishment topic ideas & essay examples, ✏️ good research topics about crime and punishment, 📌 interesting topics to write about crime and punishment, ❓ questions about crime and punishment.

Utilitarianists’ Ideology in “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky The main character of the novel Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky was influenced by the ideas of West European utilitarianism, based on the theories of correct actions and values.”New, “strange, unfinished ideas’ ‘ of Western […]
Foucault’s “Discipline and Punish” and Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” The book examines the social context of punishment and the implications of shifting power. People were condemned and punished for acting in a way that did not conform to the law.
Reading “Crime and Punishment” by Dostoevsky The most important moments from the first part occur in the second chapter, when Raskolnikov, in a conversation with Marmeladov, expresses his opinion that poverty is not a vice it is the truth, while severe […]
Raskolnikov’s Crime: The Novel Crime and Punishment It is possible to dream in such places, but hardly to live, as the physical and spiritual health of Dostoevsky’s characters plainly testifies.
The Victim Is Always Guilty: “Crime and Punishment” by F. Dostoyevsky Dostoyevsky explores a variety of issues that concern the aspects of crime and the relation between the criminal and his victim.
Raskolnikov’s Crime in Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” Using the ingenuity of Fyodor Dostoevsky and his eternal masterpiece Crime and Punishment, the paper is going to prove the idea that the actual crime committed by Rodion Raskolnikov was the arrogance he had towards […]
Part IV of Fyodor Dostoevsky’ “Crime and Punishment” Bearing in mind Svidrigailov’s motives, we can say that he is a man of honor, as he wants to compensate his fault in Dunya’s eyes and worries about her future.
The Long Way to Confession in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment The act of confession is one of the central themes in Crime and Punishment, since it is the climax point of the novel signifying crucial changes in Raskolnikov’s mental and physical state.
Female Images in the Novel “Crime and Punishment”
The Discussion of Duality of the Characters in “Crime and Punishment”
Tracing Inequality in “Crime and Punishment”
Existentialism in “Demian” and “Crime and Punishment”
The Criticism of Socialism in the Novel “Crime and Punishment”
Religious Symbolism in “Crime and Punishment”
Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Extraordinary Man Theory in “Crime and Punishment”
The Use of Crime as a Device in “Crime and Punishment”
Physical and Mental Suffering in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”
Comparing Moral Systems in “Lord of the Flies,” “Crime and Punishment,” “Scarlet Letter,” and “Pygmalion”
The Theme of Madness and Mental Delusion in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”
The Limitations of Reason Exposed in “Crime and Punishment”
Ethical Transformation of Self in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”
An Overview of the Realism in “Crime and Punishment” by Dostoevsky
A Literary Analysis and a Comparison of “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen
The Dismal Society That Traps Russians in Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”
The Bolshevik Revolution and Its Relation to “Crime and Punishment”
The Importance of Minor Characters in “Crime and Punishment”
Utilitarianism in Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”
Christianity in “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Comparing Suffering in “Crime and Punishment” and “One Day in the Life”
The Symbolism of the Cross in “Crime and Punishment”
A Comparison of the “Crime and Punishment” by Dostoevsky and “Othello” by Shakespeare
Psychoanalysis in Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”
Depiction of Social Issues in the “Brothers Karamazov” and “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Protagonist and Antagonist of “Crime and Punishment”
The Motif of Poverty Throughout “Crime and Punishment” by Dostoyevsky
The Complexity of Characters in Dostoyevsky’s Novel “Crime and Punishment”
Application of Psychoanalysis on Dreams in Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”
Comparisons Between “A Hero of Our Times” by Lermontov and “Crime and Punishment” by Dostoevsky
A Character Analysis on Raskolnikov in “Crime and Punishment”
Rationalizing Radicalism in “Crime and Punishment” vs. “Demons” by Dostoevsky
An Analysis of the Theme of Alienation in “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Kindness and Cruelty in “Crime and Punishment”
The Theory of Duality of Personality in Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”
The Influence of the Environment on the Profession of Sonia in “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Motivation of Raskolnikov’s in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”
The Underlying Message in “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Questions Raised in the Novel “Crime and Punishment”
How Would You Describe the Protagonist and Antagonist of “Crime and Punishment”?
What Is the Main Idea of “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky?
When Was the “Crime and Punishment” Written?
What Is the List of “Crime and Punishment” Characters?
Who Are the Main Characters of “Crime and Punishment”?
How a Real-Life French Serial Killer Inspired Dostoyevsky to Write “Crime and Punishment”?
What Is the Nature of Sonia’s Kindness in “Crime and Punishment”?
What Are Some Interesting Facts About the Book “Crime and Punishment”?
Why Are the Names Blanked Out in “Crime and Punishment”?
What Is the Value System in “Crime and Punishment”?
What Were the Conditions of Raskolnikov’s Life From “Crime and Punishment”?
Is Raskolnikov From “Crime and Punishment” a Spiritual Person?
Is “Crime and Punishment” an Example of an Empirical View of Utilitarianism?
How Is the Theme of Nihilism Described in “Crime and Punishment”?
What Is the Role of Dreams in “Crime and Punishment”?
How Do the Main Characters of “Crime and Punishment” Cope With Their Suffering?
What Time Period Does “Crime and Punishment” Take Place In?
How Would You Refute the Statement That Raskolnikov in “Crime and Punishment” Kills for Financial Gain?
Which View of Poverty, Pride, and Suffering in the Novel “Crime and Punishment”?
Why Sonya Is an Extraordinary Woman in the Novel “Crime and Punishment”?
Is There a Connection Between the Bolshevik Revolution and “Crime and Punishment”?
What Are Raskolnikov’s Main Motives in “Crime and Punishment”?
How St. Petersburg Life Is Depicted in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Novel “Crime and Punishment”?
What Literary Devices Are Used in “Crime and Punishment”?
How Many Pages Is “Crime and Punishment”?
What Was the Philosophy and Ideology of Raskolnikov From “Crime and Punishment”?
What Is the Moral Lesson of “Crime and Punishment”?
Does Raskolnikov From “Crime and Punishment” Have a Mental Illness?
What Happened to Raskolnikov in the End of “Crime and Punishment”?
Why Does Raskolnikov From “Crime and Punishment” Decide to Confess His Crime?
Catcher in the Rye Topics
Into the Wild Titles
Lord of the Flies Research Ideas
Of Mice and Men Essay Topics
The Great Gatsby Ideas
The Glass Menagerie Paper Topics
Animal Farm Research Topics
Jane Eyre Ideas
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Chicago (N-B)

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Crime Essays

by Ali (Iran)

Very good

Mar 19, 2016

Excellent

Apr 12, 2016

very very very very gooooooooooooooooood

Sep 26, 2016

Superrb.

Oct 13, 2016

Superbbbb. It's cool. Helped me a lot

Jan 26, 2017

I agree for what is being said we need to protect the society and our families against crime

Apr 08, 2017

It's great but there's one mistake. The spelling of IMPRISONMENT is written as EMPRISONMENT. Anyway It's great.

Jul 10, 2017

Very nicely written but if my understanding is correct:

Shouldn't there be three parts to the discussion?
First part dealing with people's view on How more efforts should be made to counteract the rising crime rate, a second part addressing how and why others believe not much can be done in this regard and a third part dealing with the writers views.

I see you've only discussed the solutions, I can't tell what promoted you to do so from looking at the statement to provide those (I'm still trying to get a hang of it).

In my opinion one is required to provide a simple two way view over the issue.

Also I dont see a paraphrased introduction, and what your essay will be dealing with. Can that be skipped?

Regards

Sep 05, 2017

Crime spoils your families name and reputation so stop crime and about your family.

Oct 14, 2017

Thanks it helped me in debate competition

Dec 14, 2017

Good

Feb 09, 2018

Wow

Mar 27, 2018

Superb job

May 24, 2018

Just awesome

Jun 01, 2018

Well written but I have sported one grammar mistake. It should be be "in my mind and not "to my mind".

Jun 26, 2018

Many people are too scared to leave their home because of a fear of crime.

Some people think that more should be done to prevent crime, whereas others feel that nothing can be done.

What are your views?

The everincreasing number of crime rates is alarming and a cause of concern for many, the world over.While some people demand effective measures to curb crime, others maintain that crime cannot be stopped. This essay discusses both the views and arrives at an opinion.

To begin with, there is a widespread belief among many that little can be done to contain crime. They argue that when poverty and the widening gap between the rich and the poor are prevalent in many nations,it is literally impossible to stop criminal offences. In actual fact, crime derives from social anarchy and disequilibrium in the society. Countries like Libiya and Somalia are classic examples for this, where the society is in complete disarray. As such, it is irrational to assume that crime can be contained.

However, the call to develop new strategies to prevent crime is gaining ground around the globe. One of the measures is installing surveillance cameras on every major street. This will help the police to monitor unusual activities and plan a prompt response to any negative incidents. In addition, increasing the number of police personnel would also serve the purpose. This will help to deploy more forces and ensures regular night patrolling of the neighborhood. Implementation of these strategies seem to be a great idea to curtail crime.

In conclusion, pessimists maintain that crime cannot be controlled as long as poverty is prevalent.However, I believe that crime can be limited with the aid of strict surveillance and an increase in police scrutiny of the localities with additional deployment of forces. It is hoped that one day the world will become crime free and everyone will live without fear, though it seems very much like an utopian dream.

Jun 26, 2018

The everincreasing number of crime rates is alarming and a cause of concern for many, the world over.While some people demand effective measures to curb crime, others maintain that crime cannot be stopped. This essay discusses both the views and arrives at an opinion.

To begin with, there is a widespread belief among many that little can be done to contain crime. They argue that when poverty and the widening gap between the rich and the poor are prevalent in many nations,it is literally impossible to stop criminal offences. In actual fact, crime derives from social anarchy and disequilibrium in the society. Countries like Libiya and Somalia are classic examples for this, where the society is in complete disarray. As such, it is irrational to assume that crime can be contained.

However, the call to develop new strategies to prevent crime is gaining ground around the globe. One of the measures is installing surveillance cameras on every major street. This will help the police to monitor unusual activities and plan a prompt response to any negative incidents. In addition, increasing the number of police personnel would also serve the purpose. This will help to deploy more forces and ensures regular night patrolling of the neighborhood. Implementation of these strategies seem to be a great idea to curtail crime.

In conclusion, pessimists maintain that crime cannot be controlled as long as poverty is prevalent.However, I believe that crime can be limited with the aid of strict surveillance and an increase in police scrutiny of the localities with additional deployment of forces. It is hoped that one day the world will become crime free and everyone will live without fear, though it seems very much like an utopian dream.

Sep 20, 2018

Aug 25, 2019

In every argument there exist premises that are presumed to be true and those premises are basically a plank that each arguer stands upon opposing ends of hoping to balance the plank upon the fulcrum of their opinions of morality. It is impossible to win an argument that seeks only a balance of ideas and this discussion about crime is one such argument.

Let's examine the premise that "crime is the evil" societies must contend with. Are we saying that crime is a living breathing thing that is waiting to pounce upon us? We must see that crime is only the side effect of an individual's inability to function civilly in a society. It is in this light that we can see that our attention should be focused on the living breathing individual and not on the effect of crime.

But therein lies the true problem. We, as a people, don't really give a damn about one another. We only care about getting our own way and we don't care if this costs other people their livelihoods or their lives. Let's be honest in our debate on crime and accept our role in the definition of "Criminal". Get off the damned teeter-totter of moral arguments and let's talk about why we despise each other so much.

Sep 19, 2019

Please anyone explain this information because i have no idea with this statement.....
(Hwo ex-criminal can educate about crime's dire consequences to children. Why do you agree or disagree with statement)
Please give someone ideas

Thank u

Jan 09, 2020

Thanks for essay. Helped me a lot in my homework.

Feb 11, 2022

nice

Apr 03, 2023

are increasing day by day in all societies in the world, but I personally do believe that there are a lot which can be done by both the governments and the individuals to reduce the crimes in communities.

A lot of important measures, on the one hand, can be taken by the governments in order to reduce or even eradicate different types of crimes .First, governments can introduce more police forces everywhere to monitor people s activities and stop them from committing crimes. Second, the state can apply new technologies such as surveillance cameras in the streets, shopping centers, restaurants and all public places to cease criminals .Third, strict punishments on criminals can have really preventive and deterrent effects on all age groups in society , so by using harsh penalties like emprisonment,physical or financial punishments the rate of crimes can be decreased.

On the other hand, individuals in societies can be of great help to cut down on the number of crimes being committed. To my mind, the overwhelming majority of people tend to participate in activities assisting the government to keep the society a safe place for their own families and the others and for all age groups .Take as an example, most people by reporting the problems to police can play an indispensable role in crime-prevention activities. In addition, when people themselves care about decreasing heinous crimes in cities, it can be sort of a preventive action to harness well the situation in society by government as well.

To conclude, in order for a society to be a safe place to live in, all society members including the governments and people must take necessary measurements to keep it a crime-free place.

Nov 09, 2023

You are the best thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!

THANKS THANKS THANKS

Continue like that!

Jan 30, 2024

So so

Aug 03, 2024

Nowadays most of the crimes are related to cyber crime or online crime but you have said about physical crimes we want some essay abou cyber crime thanks.

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Violent Crime and Youngsters

Recent figures show an increase in violent crime among youngsters under the age of 18. Some psychologists claim that the basic reason for this is that children these days are not getting the social and emotional learning they need from parents and teachers.  To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? It has been indicated by the latest researches that there are an increase number of violence crimes throughout the young individuals under 18 years old. The reason for this phenomenon as the psychologists believe is lack of emotional and social learning by the parents and teachers. Psychologically, there are two crucial factors that making teachers and parents careless about their young children and students ate the age of 18 in learning. Parents and teachers treat adults in serious ways during the learning process for two points. First of all, they observe that these group of children do not need emotion and softness as younger children, and they really pay attention just on their academic studies and how to pass successfully from the school. Eventually, the relationships between parents, teachers and students become extremely hard without any love. Secondly, once the circumstance at the school or home is getting worse and under pressure for students, they start to hate every body around them and act negatively and violently against innocent. Consequently, teachers and parents cause people at age of 18 to be dangerous criminals in the society. The other significant point is parents and teachers are less informative of excellent method of learning and teaching 18 years old students. Although there are several of resources that could teach people the intelligent approach of emotional and social learning for adult, these teachers are still not professional at it. In Canada for instance, Chapter, who is the famous library, sells the newest and easiest books of dealing with secondary schools students, yet criminal behaviors have reached the peak at schools, streets and public places. Lastly, this problem is difficult to be solved without increasing the awareness among teachers and parents of the importance of reading about emotional social learning. In Conclusion, to decrease the number of crime violence among 18 years old individuals, parents and teachers should teach them in inspirational and friendly methods. I realize that strict communication and narrow education are the influential factors for making these youth criminals. Please feedback on my IELTS Essay

Hi, Sara.

I assume that you are from Canada.

I reviewed your essay and found several grammatical mistakes.

First, I will write down every mistake that I found. I am not an English teacher and English is not my first language, but as much as I have read in English, those following details seemed incorrect. Capitalized words is the way I would write.

About overall content and justification essay seemed good. However, in second paragraph, "first of all" should begin the paragraph, otherwise the first sentence does not make sense.

I think you should avoid using word HATE.

I would also suggest to look up for some synonyms for young adult, children, 18 year old.

Thanks for reviewing my essay.

Dec 07, 2014

Thank you for checking my essay, and your comments are absolutely true, but it is difficult to notice them when you are writing quickly. How about my coherence and cohesive? I am asking you this question because I always have troubles with them. Also, if you did the exam and score 7 in writing, please give me some advices in practicing and for my writing to reach this score?

Thanks a lot.

Dec 11, 2014

The topic of the proliferation of juvenile criminal acts and its reasons has been a contentious issue, since the inception of the modern age. Although parents and teachers play a crucial role, it must not to be forgotten that the government should also play their part. This essay will examine both views.

To begin, since parents are the initial role model for a child, they hold the vital aspect in inculcating values which will guide the child through life. For example, if a child is properly nurtured during the start of development, this would lead to a better growth, thus making a person productive and may not contemplate any lascivious acts in the future. In addition, schools are said to be the second institution for not just education but also social growth. The curriculum, in part, should motivate the young minds to become an asset in the society. By showing inspirational movies, for instance, can ignite their endeavor to strive for the betterment of the community and, therefore, can make attributions in the future.

However, the authority should also impart some contributions to prevent this debacle of the youth. Since there are beneficial projects present, the government may encourage to commission infrastructure such as gym, sport's complex, football field and dance studios in promoting a healthy lifestyle. With this, much options would be rendered, thus, preventing virulent thoughts to arise leading to crime. A case in point, if the youth will spend a time in the gym, a beneficient outcome will be provided, therefore, averting the possibilty of negative process.

To sum up, i firmly beleive that in order to eradicate this predicament of the young, a synergestic effort should be formed from the parents, school, and especially the authorities for it to become successful.

Dec 26, 2014

good

Dec 27, 2014

Thank you very much for your comment
I'm happy to hear that from u
Did u do the test ?

Jan 26, 2017

Great topic to teach youngsters that commiting crime is wrong they should know that if they commit crime they are doing the wrong thing. Thanks for the inspiring essay about crime.

Oct 13, 2019

In conclusion Crime violence not suitable....

Causes and Solutions

Correct line - could be some of the reason

Jun 28, 2017

CRIME: An action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the sate and is punished by law.

In many counties crime is increase.The main reason behind this reason behind this growth is:

-Unemployment
-Rise the cost of living
-Drug
-Rise of population and limitation of resources
-Availability of information to do crime e.g TV AND INTERNET
-Reduction of harsher punishment for crime
-Rise of political reveries/hate politics
-Demolished of moral value
-Broken of families

NOTE:...THERE IS NO GREATER WEALTH IN THIS WORLD
THAN PEACE OF MIND
PREPARED BY EBENEZER NKYA

Crime Prevention

by Lama (UAE)

Crime is a big problem in the world; many believe that nothing can be done to prevent it. To what extent do you agree or disagree? The contemporary world has witnessed an increase in crime rates earlier. This is a prevailing and worrying aspect that made many to believe it's impossible to prevent it. However, in my own perspective, I think there are certain methods that could tackle these felonies and slash its growth. It's essential to look up for the fundamental and the root cause of the dilemma. For example, the relationship between committing a crime and poverty should be considered; as poverty is increasing, crime rate is increasing too. Besides that, the social issue of unemployment can lead the individual or any party to commit a certain crime, such as robbery, human smuggling, drug trade etc. In addition, the rise in inflation number has a direct correlation with unemployment and poverty too. As a result, the prevailing scenario leads to insufficient availability of job opportunities for the nation. These people will tend to go off the tangent and become law breakers in order to afford money for their survival or other real purposes. Statistics have shown that dealing with bribes between people is specifically the most committed illegal act in today's world. And eventually, this is perpetuated to spread corruption and seize human rights in an unfair way. Despite all the horrific crimes going on, genuine measures should be taken into account against those felonies to reduce crime rates in the region. Local governments should have determinable impacts on poor people to uplift their lives. This can be done by providing more jobs to initiate the economical industries to originate more job opportunities. The government of each city should also submit straight laws to the citizens. These law must involve strict punishments that oblige the offender to think again before committing any crime. Moreover, good moral education and parental guidance improves the individual's personal perspective and point of view in the society. In conclusion, I think crime rates cannot be diminished but alleviate. And by considering some measures and precautions, the world would become a better place. Please comment on my essay


	From my own experience, I notice that you overused complicated words in many times specifically in verbs. So I recommend you to use the simplest one in verbs, while in noun you can use complicated synonymous. Thank you Ayman

Ex-Prisoners Advising Teenagers About Crime

by Fahad_a11

Please Evaluate and point out mistakes in my crime essay. Some people who have been in prison become good citizens later, and it is often argued that these are the best people to talk to teenagers about the dangers of committing a crime. To what extent do you agree or disagree? There is no doubt that crime rates have dramatically increased over the last few years. Some criminals managed themselves well while they stayed in prison. One of the reasons is that they have seen the problems and sacrifices they have to make. Some people argue that these are the best people to create awareness about crimes in teenagers. However, others state that a person with a criminal background will not a leave good impression on people's minds. Firstly, it is the duty of governments and the people to identify the aspects of crimes in teenagers. After that, there should be workshops and seminars which highlight the consequences of committing crimes. It is also the responsibility of parents and guardians to have an eye on their children's activities. With little effort, one can stop many criminal activities in the surroundings. Secondly, people who were the part of immoral doings become good citizens after prison so could help teenager in eradicating this sin. They have personally experienced all the suffering they have to go through after their crime. They know the possible reason, why and how youngsters are involved in such cruel doings. Their worlds would leave undeniable impressions on people's minds and will help to eliminate crime from the society. To conclude, I strongly believe that once a criminal, not always a criminal. If one has regret about his past and has changed himself, one should be treated like a normal human being. Furthermore, they could help teenagers from crime while telling them about their sacrifices of time, health and family.


	it is best way

Sep 03, 2015

Doing mistakes is not a crime, but not learning from it can be a crime

CCTV in Public Places

by Jamshid (Namangan)

Although there are few errors in your writing, the band score for Coherence and Cohesion will stay at 6 because of your use of linking phrases.

Talk with a tutor about the following writing criteria:

Band 6: "uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical"

A good tutor will help you understand why your rigid use of linking phrases may prevent you from achieving band 7.

Dec 02, 2015

Good post

Jan 26, 2017

Just wanna say great essay very inspiring.

Feb 09, 2017

Hi

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I am going to take an IELTS test next month, please help me to improve my English. I hope I could reach up to 6 band

This really difficult for me, so I need friends who wants to talk with me by email [email protected] or text message

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Reducing Crime

I know this is way over the word count. But I keep getting 6 on my writing. Can someone please tell me if this is okay for an essay? *** Some people think that the best way to reduce crime is to give longer prison sentences. Others, however, believe there are better alternative ways of reducing crime. Discuss both views and give your opinion. A lot of people believe we need to reduce crime. Some people believe we can do that by giving inmates longer time in prison, while others believe there are other ways we can accomplish reducing crime. This essay will explain both sides and give an opinion. The first view states that people think we should give longer prison sentences. People believe if someone has committed crime they should stay in prison longer. We need to increase penalty rates by law. They did something wrong so the prisoners should have to pay for what they have done and therefore they will be staying out of trouble in prison. In prison they have programs that help inmates to make better decisions in life. For example, they have counsellor and can help people look at getting a trade job when they are released from prison. The second view point says some people think there are other ways to reduce crime in the community other than longer prison sentences. One thing we could do is having groups put in the community. For example, making it mandatory that people who have committed a crime go to a counsellor. Another thing we could do is helping them get jobs and therefore they do not feel they need to commit a crime to get by in life. For example, people will steal because they may not be able to afford money for groceries. In my opinion I believe there are other ways for people to receive the help they need so they do not commit crimes other than jail. No matter what people do not want to go to prison but they still end up there. We need to look at other ways for keeping them out. It may be the only thing they know and some prisoners spend half there life there. Keeping them in prison does not teach them anything, it just keeps them there longer but eventually they will get out and do the same thing again cause that is all they know. In conclusion there are many different ways we can keep crime low. Some people believe longer prison sentences but I believe there is another alternative than that.

Certain people believe that a longer life imprisonment is the best possible way to eliminate the increasing criminality rate in our society, however, some believe that there are other ways to reduce the crime rate. In my opinion, it is necessary that the government will focus more about this issue. This essay will discuss the views and opinions about this problem.

Firstly,there are certain ways that usually applied to the inmates as part of the program that the Department of Justice and police department should implement. Like for instance, providing projects which enables them to be productive even inside the prison such as making lanterns during Christmas season, making a handicraft projects and more. In addition to this, this is one of the best ways in supporting their families in financial aspect.

Secondly, lengthen the time of sentences for the prisoner is also an alternative way of punishment, but it depends on how heavy or not the crime that has been committed by the convictee. Aside from that, it is one of the best solutions in prohibiting the person to get involve in the crime, the more higher the punishment is, the more it is for the criminals not to get involved in certain evil act which might cause trouble and danger to the innocent people.

To sum up,there are different ways that the government sector should implement for the safety and security of the citizen in the specific place. Thus, it is necessary to abide the policies and the rules to live in a peaceful and zero crime rate society.

Increasing Levels of Crime Essay

by Param sandhu (India )

In many cities crime is increasing. Why do you think this is happening? What can governments do to help reduce crime levels? In numerous of cities crime is growing up. I think, due to the lack of education and poverty rates, crime is happening. However, although crime is a worse problem in the cities, governments can reduce it by providing job opportunities and by implementing some stringent laws against criminals. Number of factors contribute in the inclining rates of crime. Firstly, since the rate of poverty has increased, people are following the path of crime because they do have not any source of earning money therefore masses indulge in the crime. For example, a recent study in India showed that majority of criminals had belonged to poor families. Secondly, lack of education is also the reason of crime, being uneducated folks cannot get jobs at the respected field of works and without education they have not specific knowledge about living in the society and behave with others. Which finally leads them on the path of crime. Higher authorities can taken some steps to reduce the crime. First and foremost, free education must be available for the children who come from the poor families. So, they can make their future better by gaining vast amount of knowledge and experiences from the study institutions. However, governments should also create more jobs related to all fields such as in the factories, where even illiterate people can work and earn some amount of money. Last but not least, criminals should be penalized with stringent punishments which can set an example in front of others and force them to avoid to choosing paths of crime. In conclusion, though crime is increasing at alarming rate, owing to the lack of job opportunities and poverty. But I think governments may solve this by providing some facilities and enacting the laws.

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Curfew Essay

by Abhigyan (Canada)

In some areas of the US, a curfew is imposed, in which teenagers are not allowed to be out of doors after a particular time at night unless they are accompanied by an adult. What is your opinion about this? Most of the illegal activities happen at night and by imposing curfew, US government wanted to stop teenagers to get involved or get harmed by such lawless acts. Increased drug addiction and kidnapping cases have compelled the government to take such stern action. This essay will discuss that how this decision of imposing the curfew is favorable to youth and how will it impact the life of teenagers. First, cocaine is the common problem among the American youth and US government wants to save youth from this life-threatening addiction. It has been seen that teenagers go to pubs and other places to get the drugs at night. To stop the involvement of the youth, US government has imposed curfew and asked the adults to go out with their kids in the night so that they do not get involved in any activity related to drug addiction. Second, kidnapping activities were increasing in these neighborhoods and gangs were kidnapping the teenagers for ransom. It was impossible for the police to follow every teenager even after making special patrolling batches. Looking at the scenario, Senior government officials have decided to impose curfew in few areas to control the situation. When there are no unsolicited teenagers outside their home, there will be less chance to perform an act of kidnapping. So, this Curfew not only will help the police to control the crime in these Areas but also save the lives of teenagers. In summary, teenagers are the backbone of economy and future of a country, therefore it is important to save them from bad habits and bad people. The decision to impose a curfew was good and in the favor of youth.

IELTS Essay: Decline in Police Numbers

Why has the number of police officers declined?

In some countries the number of police officers in active service is decreasing. Why is this happening and how could it affect society? The storage of police officers has been bothering some counties, this might have negative effects on the society as a whole. In my opinion there could be several factors which discourage the youth from joining the forces. Cops are essential to maintain peace and safety of the country but in the recent time few nations have been facing a shortage of police and this may be due to the rigged system some country operates on , a system which is controlled and governed by the strong and powerful leaving the protectors of the nations without any choice but to follow order or drop out of the service, it is quite evident that more than a few have opted for the later option. Another reason behind this social issues could be the selfish mindset that the new age people may hold, not wanting to work for and towards the betterment of the society and state as the patriotism in their hearts may be decreasing. Few people may also drop out due to the long and rigour process of achieving a rank and not much salary and choose to opt for a more lucrative career choice. For example, my cousin who works as head constable in the police department for the past 7 years, does not make enough to support his family and has decided to opt out of the department and go for a different career choice as a clerk. All these issues have a negative effect on the public which includes people feeling unsafe , increase in crime rates, increase in the corruption of society and could cause an imbalance in the society , people may also hold prejudice against the whole police community due to this, ruining the relationship between the protector and protectee . to conclude, the lack of officer would become a serious problem in the coming future but at the same time the government should fund the department more than now since at the end of the day , being a police officer is too a career and should be able to support the worker for the better.

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Analysis & Opinion

New Essay Collection from Columbia University Press Offers Latest and Best Thinking on Criminal Justice, and What Must Be Done

Edited by the Brennan Center’s Lauren-Brooke Eisen, Excessive Punishment is a reality check on crime and justice in 2024

Changing Incentives
Cutting Jail & Prison Populations
Prison and Jail Reform
Social & Economic Harm

Anti-mass incarceration efforts have succeeded in bringing reform without sacrificing public safety, but an overreliance on punitive responses have limited their impact, especially for people of color

Contributors include Paul Butler, Alexes Harris, Michael Mendoza, Nkechi Taifa, Bruce Western

Today Columbia University Press published Excessive Punishment: How the Justice System Creates Mass Incarceration . Lauren-Brooke Eisen , director of the Justice Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, solicited 38 essays from criminal justice scholars, practitioners, and advocates, as well as former law enforcement and people who have experienced incarceration.

“The noise and disinformation about crime is hitting its usual election-year peak. This book cuts through all that,” says Eisen. “It shows that public safety, justice, and fairness are compatible goals that must be achieved together if they are to be achieved at all. The current dominant method— the blend of mass incarceration and perpetual punishment – has failed on all three counts: public safety, justice, and fairness.”

The contributors to the collection include Paul Butler , Jennifer Chacón , Khalil Cumberbatch , Alexes Harris , Michael Mendoza , Nkechi Taifa , Jeremy Travis, Bruce Western , and many others (complete list below). They delve into the unfinished work of the criminal justice reform movement. Why does so much of the criminal justice system remain locked on overincarceration? How do factors like structural racism and economic incentives work against commonsense reforms? A sampling:

“ Race, Mass Incarceration, and the Disastrous War on Drugs ” by Nkechi Taifa, civil rights attorney
“ Monetary Sanctions as a Pound of Flesh ” by Alexes Harris, University of Washington
“ Providing Hope and Freedom to Overpunished People: Where Both Seem Impossible to Achieve ” by David Singleton, University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law
“ Addressing Violent Crime More Effectively ” by David Alan Sklansky, Stanford Law School
“ The Inhumanity of Solitary Confinement ” by Christopher Blackwell, who is incarcerated at the Washington Corrections Center in Washington state

The book has earned advance praise for its depth, scope, and solutions from U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Gertner (ret.), Judith Resnik (Yale), Emily Bazelon ( The New York Times Magazine ), James Cadogan (National Basketball Social Justice Coalition), and more. (Their comments are below.)

On Wednesday, April 3 , at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, the Brennan Center along with the Commonwealth Club of California and The Last Mile will host a panel at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco (live-streamed as well) to discuss the themes and questions raised by Excessive Punishment . Eisen will be joined by fellow contributor Michael Mendoza, along with retired Superior Court of Northern California Judge LaDoris Cordell , Kevin McCracken of The Last Mile, and Ken Oliver of the Checkr Foundation. To RSVP for an in-person spot or for the live stream, please email John Zipperer at the Commonwealth Club.

On Wednesday, April 17 , at 3 p.m. ET, the Brennan Center will also host a live, virtual event. Eisen will moderate a conversation with fellow contributors Jeremy Travis of the Columbia Justice Lab , Khalil Cumberbatch of the Council on Criminal Justice, and Nkechi Taifa , a civil rights attorney. RSVP here . Excessive Punishment will be the subject of other upcoming events. Please email Derek Rosenfeld to find out more.

In addition to leading the criminal justice work at the Brennan Center, Eisen is a former prosecutor and the author of Inside Private Prisons (Columbia, 2017).

Advance Praise for Excessive Punishment

“This book weaves a path toward reform of the fragmented system of criminal punishment in the United States, which produces too many harms and too little safety for anyone. Essays brilliantly distill the histories of control and racism, and they map how to reorient interactions on streets, in prisons, and after release to recognize the political voice and social worth of all members of the country.” – Judith Resnik, Arthur Liman Professor of Law, Yale Law School

“This book breaks through the tropes about what it takes for our criminal legal system to ensure public safety; it smashes the generalizations that have fueled our failed experiment in mass incarceration for the past several decades. And it does so with experts of all kinds—scholars, activists, practitioners—who chronicle how our system went off the rails and, more important, how to fix it.” – U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Gertner (ret.)

“This book brings together an amazing array of contributors to outline the biggest problems with American conceptions and implementation of punishment—and also to propose solutions.” – Emily Bazelon , author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration and staff writer, The New York Times Magazine

“In 2020, millions of Americans came together in an unprecedented call for a more just society. This collection of essays by some of the country’s foremost thinkers continues that work—helping us understand the history of our carceral system and offering a blueprint for how we can create safe, healthy, and thriving communities from coast to coast.” – James Cadogan , executive director, National Basketball Social Justice Coalition

“As someone who endured fourteen years within the confines of federal prison, I have witnessed the stark and often brutal realities of our criminal justice system. Excessive Punishment is a beacon of insight onto the cycle of mass incarceration that grips our nation.” – Louis L. Reed , activist and film producer

Contributors to Excessive Punishment

, University of Oslo	, Benenson Strategy Group
, Alliance for Safety and Justice	, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
, Yale Law School	Peggy McGarry, Center for Effective Public Policy
, Look 2 Justice	Michael Mendoza, Anti-Recidivism Coalition
, John Jay College of Criminal Justice	Carlton Miller, Arnold Ventures
, Georgetown Law	, Columbia University
, Stanford Law School	, Due Process Institute
, Villanova Law	, Prison Fellowship
, Vera Institute of Justice	, NACDL
, The Marshall Project	, University of Chicago Law School
, Council on Criminal Justice	, Berkeley Law
, University of Texas	, UDC Law
, Community Organizer	, Stanford University
, Brennan Center for Justice	, ArchCity Defenders
Kathy Foer-Morse, New Jersey reentry nonprofit	, Brennan Center for Justice
, Council on Criminal Justice	, Brennan Center for Justice
, JSTOR Daily	, The Taifa Group, LLC
, Brennan Center for Justice	, NYU Law
, University of Washington	, Ear Hustle
, Georgetown Law	, Columbia Justice Lab
, Drexel University	, NYU
, New America	, Columbia University
, Writer, Filmmaker, Advocate

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Lawmakers and other officials in multiple states seek to limit the power of or remove elected prosecutors whose policy choices they disagree with.

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The for-profit bail bond industry is an overlooked but significant factor in pushback against attempts to reform or end the cash bail system.

DeSantis’s Suspension of Orlando-Area Prosecutor Is Counterproductive Justice Policy

America's dystopian incarceration system of pay to stay behind bars, to reduce unnecessary incarceration, focus on public safety and prison reduction, a new idea on justice reform, the federal government must incentivize states to incarcerate fewer people, informed citizens are democracy’s best defense.

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Crime and Punishment [IELTS Topics]

Posted by David S. Wills | Nov 20, 2020 | IELTS Tips | 0

If you have practised for IELTS writing, then you have more than likely encountered the IELTS topic of crime and punishment . I am not talking about the book by Russian novelist , Fyodor Dostoevsky. Instead, I mean the general topic that covers issues relating to crime, criminals, police, the law, and methods of punishing lawbreakers.

This is a pretty common topic in IELTS writing and also in the speaking test, so today I would like to show you some useful vocabulary and also to run through some crime and punishment IELTS essays so that you can better understand this topic.

IELTS Vocabulary for Crime and Punishment

If you want to prepare for the topic of crime and punishment, then you should learn some vocabulary to help you discuss it with ease. A great way to start is to read some news articles about crime. You can try searching your favourite English-language news source. I recommend the BBC , but any high-quality news outlet is fine. You might also find it useful to search Wikipedia for crime-related topics, such as “ capital punishment .” These will invariably contain many useful words. For example:

wikipedia article on capital punishment with highlighted vocabulary

Of course, I usually stress that you should not just learn words in isolation. Try to learn groups of words that commonly go together or longer phrases that might help you. For example, you could learn some adjectives and nouns that go together:

law-abiding citizens
hardened criminals

It is also worth noting that the word “criminal” can be a noun or an adjective:

criminal behaviour (adjective)
an unrepentant criminal (noun)

Notice that I am mixing adjectives and nouns to provide more accurate and also colourful language. This is a good way to improve your writing skills – but of course it only helps when the language is used accurately.

Here is a video that I recently made covering the topic of crime and punishment as it relates to IELTS. This includes some useful vocabulary to talk about the court system:

attorney vs solicitor
capital punishment and its synonyms
jail vs prison

More Vocabulary: Types of Crime and Criminals

If you want to talk about crime, then it would be useful to know the name of various crimes and also the criminal associated with them. Here’s a list of crime words I made for you:

Crime	Criminal
Arson	Arsonist
Blackmail	Blackmailer
Burglary	Burglar
Extorsion	Extortionist
Fraud	Fraud
Hacking	Hacker
Murder	Murderer
Rape	Rapist
Robbery	Robber
Scam	Scammer
Stalking	Stalker
Terrorism	Terrorist
Theft	Thief

IELTS Speaking: Crime and Punishment

The topic of crime and punishment could be considered quite controversial in some ways. Think about the issues that arise: imprisonment, violence, reforming criminals. These are serious issues that cannot be summed up in short sentences without further justification. As such, this is not a common topic for part one of the speaking test.

Likewise, you probably would not be asked to talk about this for part two. Can you imagine if the cue card said, “Describe a criminal you know?” 🤨 That would not really be appropriate. It has the potential to make people feel embarrassed or ashamed or even to completely draw a blank.

Therefore, crime and punishment mostly arises in part three of the IELTS speaking test. This is where you are asked about bigger issues that require more thought and explanation. These can be viewed as similar to the sorts of question you see in task two of the writing exam.

IELTS Speaking Part 3 Questions: Crime

Here are some example questions and answers from part three of the speaking test:

Q: Do you think that young criminals should be sent to prison for serious crimes?

A: No, I do not think that it is right to send young offenders to prison. In fact, that seems to be the worst way to deal with them. In any advanced society, juvenile delinquents should be dealt with through education, with the intention of reforming them into law-abiding adults. Sending them to jail or prison simply puts them in contact with other criminals and makes them more likely to commit further offenses.

Q: What do you think makes people commit acts of violent crime?

A: Well, crimes have different motivations. Some are committed out of desperation and others are crimes of passion. In other words, they are spur-of-the-moment offenses that had no forethought. Then there are other crimes that are definitely pre-meditated. These are the worst ones and probably the hardest to pin down in terms of motivation. In any case, it is hard to say what makes people do these things, except that it depends entirely upon the individual case.

Q: Do you think that video games encourage young people to commit crimes?

A: No, absolutely not, and the scientific consensus nowadays appears to back that stance. The idea that video games encourage people to commit crimes is laughable. If this was true, we would have to go and censor TV and books, and even change how we report the news. People who are going to commit crimes do so for a variety of reasons, but to suggest that they do it to imitate a game is quite absurd. If someone really did claim that their crime was inspired by a computer game, they would probably be lying or else they had underlying mental issues that made them particularly susceptible to outside influences.

Crime and Punishment IELTS Essay Topics

This topic is much more common in the writing exam than other parts because it requires the expression of complex ideas. As such, you will see many IELTS writing task 2 questions about crime and punishment.

Common sub-topics include:

young people and crime
capital punishment
reasons for criminal behaviour
reforming offenders

Crime and Punishment IELTS Essay

Here is a quite representative task 2 essay question:

Some people think that offenders should be put in prison. Others, however, believe that providing offenders with education and training is more effective than putting them in prison. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Sample Band 9 Answer

For thousands of years, people have discussed the different ways of dealing with criminals, and even in the modern era there is a great degree of disagreement on this subject. Some believe that prison is an effective measure, but others argue that education and training would be better. This essay will look at both sides of the argument and then argue in favour of a balanced approach.

For centuries, prisons have been used as a way of both punishing criminals and keeping them away from law-abiding citizens. Although it works as a deterrent and also as a practical means of keeping society safe, it is not without its controversy. For one thing, prisons are notorious hubs of gang activity, and impressionable young lawbreakers can easily be moulded into hardened criminals during a short stint behind bars. Moreover, prisons are violent places where young offenders can be raped, beaten, or even killed during their sentence, and when they are released they carry with them the stigma of their incarceration. This means that they will struggle to return to normal society and, for this reason, recidivism rates can be quite high in some places. Thus, although prisons are an effective means of punishing people and keeping society safe, they are not without substantial problems.

On the other hand, educating and training criminals is controversial because people tend to think of it as overly lenient. Many law-abiding citizens believe that those who break the law should be punished harshly or else there is little reason to adhere to the rules. However, this approach should not be seen as rewarding criminals but rather rehabilitating people who were pushed to extreme actions by their unfortunate circumstances. Statistically, most prison inmates come from backgrounds of poverty and abuse, so giving them a helping hand can be more beneficial than punishing them and then hoping that they do not return to a life of crime.

In conclusion, this is an extremely complex issue that requires serious scrutiny, but it appears as though prison should be reserved only for violent and habitual offenders while the majority of petty criminals should be dealt with through education and training.

Notes on the Answer

There was a lot of great vocabulary in this answer for the purposes of a descriptive and thoughtful essay:

impressionable young lawbreakers
a short stint behind bars
the stigma of their incarceration
recidivism rates
rehabilitating
requires serious scrutiny
petty criminals

Task 1 – Crime-related Essays

For IELTS writing task 1, it is also possible that you could have to describe data about crime. This is harder to predict because it really could be about almost anything, but here is an example of a line graph about various types of criminal activity:

The line graph shows changes in crime rates over a ten-year period in the city centre of Newport. Three types of crimes are listed, two of which ended the period at roughly similar levels to where they began, and one experienced a major drop.

In 2003, which was the beginning of the recorded period, burglary was the most common type of crime in Newport, with just under 3,500 cases reported. This rose slightly the following year, before entering into a long downward trend, reaching a low of about 1,200 in 2008. After this, the number of burglaries reported fluctuated until 2012.

The number of car thefts was about 2,800 in 2003, and ended the period slightly lower, at 2,700. During the decade-long period, it fluctuated, reaching low points in 2006 and 2008. Car theft was the second most common type of crime in 2003, but the fall in burglaries meant that from 2008 onwards, they were the most common crime in Newport.

Robberies were the least common crime and followed a somewhat similar trend to that of car thefts, starting and ending the period with around 700 incidents. It fluctuated only slightly during the ten-year period.

This essay originally appeared here .

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic: Many offenders commit more crimes after serving the first punishment

Updated On Aug 08, 2024

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Get access to the IELTS Writing Task 2 band 9 sample answer of 'Many Offenders Commit More Crimes After Serving The First Punishment’ here!

Band 8 sample essay, band 9 sample essay, other essays related to crime and punishment.

IELTS Writing Prediction Questions for 2024

In IELTS Writing Task 2 , students are asked to write a formal essay of at least 250 words, in 4-5 paragraphs based on the given writing task 2 essay topics. The task is similar for both Academic and General Training with regards to the type of questions and the scoring, but the topics given for General Training will be slightly easier than Academic.

Given below is an IELTS problem and solution essay with sample answers that will help you to practise and get a good score.

Before that, take a look at IELTS Writing Task 2 Preparation Tips !

Many offenders commit more crimes after serving the first punishment. Why is this happening, and what measures can be taken to tackle this problem?

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Do you have an essay on this topic? Please post it in the comments section. One of our IELTS trainers will evaluate your essay from an examiner’s point of view and reply to the comment. This service is completely FREE of cost.

Cause/ Solution Essay

Introduction

Introduce the essay topic and paraphrase it by giving a proper preface. Then, state the essay’s intent in two subsequent paragraphs, i.e., the causes and solutions for the essay topic.

Paragraph 1: A large proportion of criminals leave prison only to reoffend, owing to a lack of rehabilitation and reskilling opportunities in prison

Paragraph 2: These criminals can take effective measures to keep engaged in activities that will help them acquire new skills.

State the solution

Most criminals tend to commit crimes again, once they are released from jail. This is mainly because of the lack of rehabilitation in prisons and also the difficulty they face in finding employment. There are a lot of solutions to overcome this situation. In this essay, we will explain why the criminals commit the same crime again and the reasons to overcome this.

The main reason for the repetition of crimes is the lack of reskilling options in jails. Since they are unable to find the right employment, they resort to unfair means to earn their daily bread. Another reason is that there aren’t strict laws to keep them under control.

Some effective measures are imposing strict punishments and improving their skills like craft making, fashion designing, catering and so on. They will be engaged in work once they are out of prison and become self-sustained.

To sum up, the government must closely monitor the criminals even after they are out of prison and ensure that there is a reduction in crime rate so that we can make the world a better place to live in.

Several criminals are likely to commit other offences after serving their initial term, owing to their incapacity to maintain economic stability and difficulty finding suitable employment. However, there are several options for dealing with this scenario, such as providing financial assistance and instilling the necessary skills. This essay will look at why criminals commit the same crimes over and over again and how to avoid them.

To begin with, most first-time convicts commit crimes after serving their first sentence due to the lack of employment options and opportunities to retrain and master new skills to make a living. Moreover, since society does not accept the convicts as respectable people anymore, they join hands with their criminal friends and perpetuate the same crimes, such as pickpocketing or robbing, to make ends meet and avail basic necessities. As a result, the financial hardships of the perpetrators prompt them to recommit the crimes regardless of the repercussions.

There are some viable measures to rehabiliate habitual criminals. The government can provide financial assistance to them after they complete their sentence as this will help them stabilize their economic status and make a living for themselves. The government can also ensure that criminals have the opportunity to retrain vital skills while in prison, as this will help them find stable work after their sentence is over and will improve their reintegration into society and financial development.

To sum up, the convicts recommit the crimes owing to a lack of financial help, job opportunities, and rehabilitation. Still, crime rates would drop considerably if the government implemented the above-mentioned measures and kept a close eye on first-time offenders once set free.

Rehabilitation

Meaning: the action of restoring someone to a healthy or normal life through training and therapy after imprisonment, addiction, or illness Eg: The older woman was sent to a rehabilitation centre.

Meaning: succeed in dealing with (a problem or difficulty) Eg: It was difficult for John to overcome the loss of his pet.

Meaning: teach (a person, especially an unemployed person) new skills Eg: The University started a reskilling program for the students.

Meaning: the action of repeating something that has already been said or written. Eg: The staff was fired due to her repetition of mistakes.

Earn (one’s) daily bread

Meaning: to do work of any kind for a living Eg: The man earned his daily bread by working at a construction site.

Self-sustaining

Meaning: able to continue in a healthy state without outside assistance Eg: Kay was self-sustaining from his business.

Meaning: observe and check the progress or quality of (something) over a period of time Eg: The teacher monitored the students during the exam.

Meaning: make certain that (something) will occur or be the case Eg: My mother ensured that I scored good marks.

Meaning: turn to and adopt (a course of action, especially an extreme or undesirable one) so as to resolve a difficult situation. Eg: Jill had to resort to a loan from the bank.

Meaning: force (an unwelcome decision or ruling) on someone Eg: The government imposed strict travel restrictions.

There are also other related essays that you can make use of while practicing for IELTS Writing task 2 essays. The list is given below:

Juvenile Criminal

Some people say that when children under 18 are committing a crime they should be punished, while others believe they should be educated. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give your own opinion.
Studies show that criminals get a low level of education. Some people believe that the best way to reduce crime is by educating people in prison so they can get a job after leaving prison. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
In some countries, a high proportion of criminal acts are committed by teenagers. Why has this happened? What can be done to deal with this?
Some people who have been in prison become good citizens later. Some people think that having these people to give a talk to school students is the best way to tell them about the dangers of committing a crime. Do you agree or disagree?

Practice IELTS Writing Task 2 based on Essay types

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Crime and Punishment, Essay Example

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Crime is a violent act with an aim of hurting other individual. The aim of a crime is to destabilize the peace and tranquillity of the society. There are various aspects that make up a crime. They include:

The nature of the crime
The motive of the crime
Whether the culprit was caught or not
The punishment
The reason of the punishment
The effectiveness of the punishment

The above aspects are vital in understanding crime and punishment. Crime has origin like any other thing in existence. There are theories that have been brought up to understand crime with an aim of stopping it. These criminals behaviour are known to have been triggered by something to do these acts of violence. There are some French and Italian thinkers who have come up with various schools of thought to understand crime and the motives behind them. These thinkers have been able to understand the minds of criminals. Understanding the minds of the criminals can lead to early prevention of crime (Tonry, 2000).

The punishment for the crimes is something that has evolved through the ages. The punishment was meant to change the behaviour of the perpetrator and was to be fitting to the crime. This is something that initially brought up a lot of problems since the perpetrators came out not reformed. It is something that has changed over the ages as various reformers have come up to change the status quo. These reformers made a significant difference and the change was positive. The main reason for punishment is being achieved now. This is now up for debate since change comes from an individual choice to change their habit and behaviour ( Dostoevsky, 2004).

Tonry H. Michael . (2000). The Handbook of Crime & Punishment . Foster City, CA: Oxford University press.

Dostoevsky F. (2004). Crime and Punishment Enriched Classics . Kentucky: Simon and Schuster.

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IELTS Essays About Crime

Jump to: Opinion Essays , Discussion Essays , Discussion and Opinion Essays , or Situation Essays

Opinion Essays

The death penalty should be available as a punishment for serious crimes.

To what extent do you agree?

Certain groups of society believe that the most efficient way of lowering crime rates is to be able to implement the death penalty for crimes which are the most serious. Others believe that this is not the case and makes no difference. Personally, I am completely against the use of the death penalty and this essay shall explore some of the reasons for this view point.

Firstly, a major drawback of the death penalty is that it is irreversible and could be handed out incorrectly. Although forensic scientists are becoming more and more advanced there is still a chance that mistakes are made and innocent people are executed. A classic case of this was Colin Ross, who in 1922 was executed but later evidence proved that he was actually innocent and in fact he was later pardoned in 2008.

In addition to the above arguments is the fact that some people are of the opinion that the death penalty has no place in a civilized society. To kill another human being for whatever reason should be considered a very low immoral act which demonstrates a lack of appreciation for the precious gift of life which we have all been given. Furthermore, most major religions of the world express the need for forgiveness. Executing inmates on death row is as far from this particular teaching as you could get.

Overall, it can be said that innocent people can be executed wrongfully and that a truly developed society should be able to find a more productive way of dealing with serious criminals. I therefore remain firmly of the stand point that the death penalty is totally unethical and ineffective

Internet crime is increasing rapidly as growing numbers of people purchase goods over the internet. What can be done to tackle this problem?

Following a significant increase in the number of financial transactions taking place online in recent years, internet crime levels have also increased dramatically. I believe this is due to the fact that people often think that they are safe when they are sat behind a computer and that they cannot be caught easily. This essay shall explore some ways of reducing these types of crimes.

One of the most effective ways of reducing online crime levels might be to make every internet user log-in with their passport number or national identification card number. Most countries assign at least one of these numbers to each citizen so this would make it very easy to track down who had done what crime and when. If potential criminals were made to identify themselves online in this manner when they first log on then it may cause them to think twice about conducting illegal activities.

Another method which may also aid online crime reduction would be to regulate the websites that the general public was allowed to access. This would mean that rather than the public being able to visit any type of websites they want to, they would only be allowed to access websites which were secure and not linked in any way to criminal activity. For example, certain web-sites such as Alphabaymarket.com sell fire-arms and drugs and are infamous for being places where illegal activities and transactions take place. Eliminating access to them could therefore aid in crime level reduction.

Overall, making people identify themselves online and restricting access to certain web-sites could help in online crime reduction. Personally, I feel the government need to take responsibility for implementing some or all of the above ideas.

Some people believe that poverty is the cause of most crimes.

Do you agree or disagree?

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While some people believe prison is the best place for criminals others think that there are better ways to handle them.

What is your opinion?

Violence in society increases when more violence is shown on television.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

In some communities the teenage crime rate is growing. Some people believe that regardless of age, teenagers who commit major crimes should receive punishment that is the same as an adults.

Some people believe certain prisoners should be forced to do community work with no pay rather than being simply kept inside a prison cell.

The crime rate nowadays is lower than in the past because of the increased use of advanced technology which can prevent and solve crimes.

Some countries are experiencing an increase in the rates of crime. Many people believe that getting more police walking the streets is the best way to prevent crime from occurring.

Discussion Essays

Many people think that having one single fixed punishment for all crimes would be more effective.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a fixed punishment?

Discussion and Opinion Essays

Some people think that giving harsher prison sentences and punishments is the best way to reduce crime rates, others however believe there are alternative methods that need to be explored.

Discuss both sides and give your own opinion.

Some people think that the best way to reduce crime is to hand out longer prison sentences, whilst other people think that there are better methods of doing reducing crime.

Discuss both views and give your opinion .

Some people think that the government should be responsible for reducing crime, where as others believe individuals should take responsibility for their own safety and security.

Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

Many criminals after being released go on to commit further crimes as soon as they are allowed out of prison.

What do you think are the causes of this and what possible solutions can you suggest?

Situation Essays

In some poorer areas of large cities people are too afraid to leave their houses at night time due to a fear of crime.

What are the causes of crime in those areas and what can be done to tackle those problems?

In many large cities around the world youth crime is growing at a fast rate.

What are the reasons for this and suggest some solutions.

Crime rates in most countries are often higher in urban areas than in rural areas.

What do you think are the reasons for this and what can be done to lower the crime rates?

It is thought that the increase in youth crime rates can be linked to an increase in violence shown in the media.

Do you agree that this is the main factor causing juvenile crime and what ideas can you offer to deal with the situation?

Many crimes are often linked to the consumption of alcohol. Some people think that banning alcohol sales would dramatically reduce crime.

Do you think it is an effective measure against crime and what other solutions can you suggest?

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IELTS Writing Task 2/ Essay Topics with sample answer.

Ielts essay # 287 - fixed punishments for each type of crime, ielts writing task 2/ ielts essay:, 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..

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Essay on Crime And Punishment

Students are often asked to write an essay on Crime And Punishment in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Crime And Punishment

Understanding crime.

Crime is an act that breaks the law. It can be small, like stealing candy, or big, like robbing a bank. Some people commit crimes because they are poor, others because they want power or excitement. No matter the reason, crime harms others and disrupts peace in society.

Purpose of Punishment

Punishment is given to people who commit crimes. It serves two main purposes. First, it discourages the person from committing the crime again. Second, it warns others that crime leads to unpleasant consequences.

Types of Punishment

Punishments can be different based on the crime. For small crimes, punishments can be fines or community service. For serious crimes, punishments can be jail time or even the death penalty in some places.

Effectiveness of Punishment

Punishment can stop people from committing crimes, but it’s not always effective. Sometimes, people commit crimes again after being punished. This shows that we need to find better ways to prevent crime, like education and providing opportunities.

250 Words Essay on Crime And Punishment

Understanding crime and punishment.

Crime refers to acts that break the law. These are actions that society and law consider wrong. For example, stealing or hurting someone physically. Punishment, on the other hand, is what happens when someone commits a crime. It could be a fine, jail time, or community service.

Why Crimes Happen

People commit crimes for many reasons. Some do it out of need, like stealing food to eat. Others might do it because they think it’s fun or exciting. Sometimes, people commit crimes because they are angry or upset. Understanding these reasons can help us stop crimes before they happen.

Punishments are given based on the crime. Small crimes, like stealing a candy bar, might result in a small fine. Bigger crimes, like hurting someone, could lead to jail time. Some punishments aim to help the person learn from their mistakes, like community service.

Effect of Punishment

The goal of punishment is to stop people from committing crimes. It makes people think twice before doing something wrong. Yet, sometimes, punishment doesn’t work. Some people continue to commit crimes even after being punished. This shows that we need to find better ways to stop crime.

In conclusion, crime and punishment are important aspects of our society. They help keep order and ensure safety. By understanding the reasons behind crime and the effects of punishment, we can work towards a safer and more peaceful society.

500 Words Essay on Crime And Punishment

What is punishment.

Punishment is what happens when someone is found guilty of a crime. It’s a way for society to show that breaking the law is not okay. Punishments can also be different based on the crime. For example, if someone steals, they might have to give back what they stole and spend some time in jail. If someone hurts another person, they might have to go to jail for a long time.

The Purpose of Punishment

Punishment serves several important roles. First, it helps to teach the person who committed the crime that what they did was wrong. This is called deterrence. The idea is that if the punishment is tough, people will think twice before committing a crime.

Finally, punishment can also help the person who committed the crime to become a better person. This is called rehabilitation. The idea is to help them understand why what they did was wrong and how they can avoid doing it in the future.

The Balance Between Crime and Punishment

It’s important to make sure the punishment fits the crime. This means that the punishment should be just right – not too harsh, not too light. If the punishment is too harsh, it’s not fair to the person who committed the crime. If it’s too light, it might not stop them or others from committing more crimes.

Final Thoughts

Crime and punishment are important parts of our society. They help keep order and teach people the difference between right and wrong. It’s a complex system, but it’s necessary to ensure that we can all live in peace and safety. It’s also a system that is always changing and evolving, as we learn more about what works best to deter crime and rehabilitate those who have committed crimes.

Remember, the goal is not just to punish, but also to prevent future crimes and help those who have committed crimes to become better people. This way, we can all live in a safer and more peaceful society.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Band 9 sample essay about crime

Home » IELTS BAND 9 ESSAYS » Band 9 sample essay about crime

Crime is a big problem in the world; many believe that nothing can be done to prevent it. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give your own opinion.

Crime is unquestionably one of the most prevailing and worrying aspects in any society, and its prevention should be taken seriously. Crime prevention can be executed in various ways, firstly through a sustained honest presence in the community and secondly through international cooperation.

A local presence by incorruptible law enforcement authorities may be costly, however, the long-term investment would pay dividends in the future. A safer region would encourage trade, investment and set an invaluable example for younger generations.

For example, crime has dramatically been reduced in the Favelas around Rio de Janiero in Brazil. This was achieved largely through the government committing large funds of money to stationing police headquarters in and around the slums. These financial expenditures greatly benefited the community.

Secondly, due to the large-scale severity and the global impact that crime has in some areas of the world, global cooperation is critical. Operating in a different way would incur significant financial losses and render any expenditure futile.

For example, Somalian pirates in Africa have reigned terror amongst many ocean transport companies in the area. Only through large-scale international cooperation was policing the area possible. Therefore, crime reduction can be attributed to a joint effort between countries.

To conclude, illegal activities are a costly and dangerous fact in the present global economy; however, through large-scale government investment prevention is an attainable goal. Also, spreading the expense through international cooperation the resources invested can be significantly more effective in reducing criminals’ effectiveness abroad.

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Crime and punishment IELTS model essay with vocabulary
Although crime and punishment is a common topic in the IELTS exam, there, thankfully, is not too much vocabulary you need to know for it. Let's take a look at some of the high level vocabulary in this answer to kick start your learning. Deterrent. A deterrent is something that scares people away from doing something. Rehabilitation.
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An Essay on Crimes and Punishments

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IELTS essay Crime and Punishment

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Topic: Many offenders commit more crimes after serving the first punishment

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