Many offenders commit more crimes after serving their first punishments.

Why is this happening and

what measures can be taken to tackle the problem?

How to reduce the crime rates has always been a matter of grave concern to the society and especially to
the authorities. However, many convicts continue to offend the laws after serving their first sentences,
which greatly increases the crime rates. Personally, I believe that they are solely the prison environment
and the difficulties law offenders face that drive them reoffend, with answers to these two issues being
sustainable solutions to the situation.

Firstly, it is the environment behind the jail that affects the lawbreakers most, provoking them to commit
the crime once again. The inadequate facilities certainly play a role in worsening criminals’ attitudes,
with the lack of recreational equipment arousing boredom and unsanitary living conditions causing
inmates to be badly affected their physical health and consequently their mental well-being. In addition,
exposure to other criminals who commit serious crimes such as robbery or murder can distort their
perception of rules and justice, spurring that offender to break the law again. Moreover, the bad attitudes
of managers in prison act as the ultimate offence to an inmate’s esteem, making him or her inclined to
engage in unlawful activities once released. To address this issue, a series of measures have to be taken,
including launching rehabilitation programs and imposing close scrutiny on both prison inmates and
prison officers. Rehabilitation programs will educate prisoners on necessary skills which can be applied
when they are discharged, and imposing close scrutiny will help prevent the bad attitudes or
maltreatment from taking place behind the bars.

Secondly, many ex-offenders find it difficult to reintegrate into the society due to others’ discrimination.
As many employers tend to avoid people with crime records, those who have committed crimes face
many hindrances when they try to apply for a job. As a result, a lack of money to sustain themselves force
these people to commit crime again for a living. Furthermore, ex-offenders often have to suffer from
criticism and prejudices of their neighbors, which demoralizes them from bettering themselves and
provokes their reoffence. To eradicate the problem, support from the community to help these ex-
prisoners is indispensable. If ex-prisoners are provided with a job to make a living and satisfy their basic
needs, they are much less likely to break the law again. Therefore, coupled with providing vocational
training for prison inmates, the government should encourage companies to employ prisoners by
offering tax-decreasing policies or other benefits. Once ex-criminals feel that they are contributing to the
society, the chances are that they will not take part in unlawful acts again.

In conclusion, to prevent ex-offenders from reoffending, which was caused by unfavorable prison
environment and the hindrances they face after being freed, numerous steps should be taken with
improving the environment behind the jail and providing subsequent support being two direct answers.