4. Crime

Police and Crime Prevention

• The job of the polices is to catch criminals
• They must also prevent crime and make communities safer
• There should be an increase in the number of police officers on the streets
• Police officers should be seen as part of the community
• They should be involved with education and prevention
• The police should be in close contact with schools
• They should focus on young people who have dropped out of school.
• These teenagers may become involved with gangs

Punishments/Prisons

• Fines are used as punishment for minor crimes
• If the crime is more serious, prison is the most common punishment
• Some criminals pose a threat to society
• They are put in prison to ensure the safety of other citizens

Negatives of Prisons

• Criminals are put together
• They make friends with other offenders
• Many prisoners re-offend when they are released
• A criminal record makes finding a job more difficult

Rehabilitation

• Another aim of prisons is rehabilitation
• Prisoners receive education of vocational training
• Prisoners should learn personal skills and specific job skills
• Punishment could make prisoners’ behavior worse
• Rehabilitation aims to make them better citizens
• Rehabilitated prisoners are less likely to re-offend

Capital punishment

• Supporters say that capital punishment deters crime
• Fear of the death penalty stops people from committing offences
• The death penalty shows that crime is not tolerated
• It is a form of revenge
• The cost of imprisonment is avoided
• The offender cannot pose a threat to others

Against Capital Punishment

• Innocent people could be wrongly convicted and executed
• Crime rates are not necessarily reduced
• Many criminals do not think they will be caught
• Capital punishment is not a good deterrent
• Executing prisoners creates a violent culture and encourages revenge
• We have no right to take another human life

Community service

• Community service is a way to reform offenders
• It could be a solution to prison overcrowding
• It avoids the cost of imprisonment
• It makes offenders useful in their local communities
• They are required to clean streets or talk to school groups
• Offenders repay their community
• They avoid the negative influence that prison can have

Against community service

• Community service is not a sufficient punishment
• Criminals should be locked up, away from their victims

Crime in the Media

• Crime is one of the main subjects of most news programs.
• The mass media focus on violent and sensational crimes
• This lead to fear of crime among the public
• Sensational stories attract more viewers or readers
• The media report crime stories in order to increase their audience

警察和犯罪预防

• 警察的工作是抓罪犯
• 他们也必须阻止犯罪和保证社区安全
• 街上的警察数量应该有增加
• 警察官员应该被看作是社区的一部分
• 他们应该参与到教育和预防
• 警察应该和学校保持密切联系
• 他们应该关注那些辍学的年轻人
• 这些青少年或许会卷进枪击

惩罚、监狱

• 罚款被用作惩罚以减少犯罪
• 如果犯罪很严重，监狱就是最常见的惩罚
• 一些罪犯对社会产生威胁
• 他们被关在监狱里以确保其它城市居民的安全

监狱的消极之处

• 罪犯被关押在一起
• 他们和其它罪犯交朋友
• 许多罪犯在获取释放后再次犯罪
• 一个犯罪的记录会使得找工作变得更困难

改造

• 监狱的另一个目的是改造
• 罪犯接受职业训练的教育
• 罪犯需要学习人际能力和特殊的工作技能
• 惩罚能使罪犯表现更差
• 改造旨在使他们成为更好的城市居民
• 被改造的罪犯不太可能再次犯罪

死刑惩罚

• 支持者说死刑惩罚阻止犯罪
• 对死刑惩罚的害怕阻止人们犯罪
• 死刑惩罚指示罪过不可被容忍
• 这是一种形式的报复
• 关押的成本被省去
• 罪犯不能对他人造成威胁

反对死刑的论据

• 无辜的人可能被错误地定罪和处决
• 犯罪率并不一定会减少
• 许多罪犯不认为他们会被抓住
• 死刑不是一个很好的威慑
• 处决罪犯营造了一种暴力文化和鼓励报复
• 我们没有权利夺取他人的生命
• +还有其他更好的办法来减少犯罪

社区服务

• 社区服务是一种改造罪犯的方式
• 它可以是减少监狱拥挤的一种方法
• 它避免了监狱的成本
• 它使得罪犯在他们的当地社区有用
• 他们被要求去清扫大街或者和学校小组聊天
• 罪犯偿还他们的社区
• 它们避免了监狱可能存在的消极影响

反对社区服务

• 社区服务不是一种充分的惩罚
• 罪犯应该被关押起来，远离他们的受害者
• +社区服务风险大，re-offend

媒体犯罪

• 犯罪是绝大多数新闻节目的主要话题
• 大众媒体关注暴力和耸人听闻的犯罪
• 这导致公众对犯罪的恐慌
• 耸人听闻的故事吸引更多的观众和读者
• 媒体报道犯罪故事以增加他们的读者