Should thieves go to jail?

This article really got me thinking, and my judgement is no.

The main argument I can justify for keeping thieves out of jail is the cost to society. Financially the costs of jail maintenance are huge to the taxpayer, and less prisoners should equate to less money being spent. This money could be redirected into student loans, or creating more jobs, for example.

There is also a social cost. How many children will be raised without their Father or Mother because they've been sentenced for petty thefts?

Of course it's always horrible to have something stolen from you. I've had a couple of mobile phones taken from me, luckily I was never actually confronted, but my phone has been slipped out of my pocket before. It made me really angry and although I reported it to the police, it's unlikely they found the person who took it and I definitely didn't get my phone back! Still, if given the choice, I would rather be compensated so I could get a new phone (those things aren't cheap) than know that the person responsible was locked up for a few months. Or maybe that's just me?

Nevertheless I completely understand that people can cause real harm to their communities through dishonesty, which is why I think that they should have to do community service to give back and help the people that they may have harmed.

I think it would benefit society better in the long run if fines and community service orders where given, but if someone is a repeat offender then it shows that their behaviour isn't going to stop without serious consequences.

Thoughts?

Gabrielle Turnquest - - - Britain's Youngest Barrister

 

 

Whilst skimming through the Guardian's legal news section I was delighted to come across this article about Turnquest for two reasons:

1. She's a woman!
2. She's black!

 

I was so happy as being a woman and mixed race things like this really inspire me and make me feel even more passionate to persue my future aspirations. Gabrielle is such a high achiever and clearly knows what she wants which is fantastic.

 

Stories like this should be on the news more often, at only 18, it showcases that the under 25s of Britain are not all the lazy time-wasters that the media portrays us sometimes to be!

 

This just made my week!

 

You can read the article here!