CRIME WRITING PRACTICE WORKSHEET
Student Name: ……………………………………… Date: ……………………………..
1. Some people believe that the best way to reduce crime is to give longer prison sentences.
Others, however, believe there are better alternative ways to reduce crime. Discuss both views
and give your opinion.
2. Some people believe that the purpose of prisons is to punish, while others believe that they exist
for rehabilitation. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
3. The number of young people involved in crime has been rising. What do you think are the causes
of this, and what can be done to reduce it?
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?
It is true that ex-prisoners can become normal, productive members of society. I completely agree with
the idea that allowing such people to speak to teenagers about their experiences is the best way to
discourage them from breaking the law.
In my opinion, teenagers are more likely to accept advice from someone who can speak from
experience. Reformed offenders can tell young people about how they became involved in crime, the
dangers of a criminal lifestyle, and what life in prison is really like. They can also dispel any ideas that
teenagers may have about criminals leading glamorous lives. While adolescents are often indifferent
to the guidance given by older people, I imagine that most of them would be extremely keen to hear
the stories of an ex-offender. The vivid and perhaps shocking nature of these stories is likely to have a
powerful impact.
The alternatives to using reformed criminals to educate teenagers about crime would be much less
effective. One option would be for police officers to visit schools and talk to young people. This could
be useful in terms of informing teens about what happens to lawbreakers when they are caught, but
young people are often reluctant to take advice from figures of authority. A second option would be for
school teachers to speak to their students about crime, but I doubt that students would see teachers
as credible sources of information about this topic. Finally, educational films might be informative, but
there would be no opportunity for young people to interact and ask questions.
In conclusion, I fully support the view that people who have turned their lives around after serving a
prison sentence could help to deter teenagers from committing crimes.
(287 words, band 9)
Some people believe that the best way to reduce crime is to give longer prison sentences.
Others, however, believe there are better alternative ways to reduce crime. Discuss both views
and give your opinion.
People have different opinions about the most effective way to fight crime. Some think that putting
offenders in jail for a longer time is the best solution, whereas others believe that a wider range of social
measures would work better. I will examine both views and explain why I lean toward the second
approach.
Supporters of long prison sentences give two main reasons. First, a tough punishment is thought to
frighten potential criminals. If they know they might spend ten or twenty years behind bars, they may
think twice before committing an offence. Second, lengthy terms physically separate dangerous people
from the public, which seems to make streets safer in the short run. The dramatic fall in gun violence
that followed stricter sentencing in several American states is often used as evidence. However, this
drop did not last, and many inmates re-offend soon after release, suggesting that prison alone does
not fix the underlying problem.
On the other hand, many experts argue that crime has deeper social roots. Better schooling, job training
and mental-health support can steer young people away from illegal activities before they ever happen.
In addition, programmes such as community service or victim–offender mediation teach responsibility
and help offenders return to society without the stigma of a long criminal record. Countries like Norway,
which invests heavily in education and rehabilitation, regularly report some of the lowest re-offending
rates in the world.
In my opinion, prison terms are necessary for violent or repeat offenders, but length alone is not a silver
bullet. A balanced policy that combines reasonable punishment with prevention and rehabilitation is
more likely to produce lasting reductions in crime.
(260 words, band 7)
Schemes to curb criminality divide opinion. One camp argues that lengthier custodial terms are the
surest deterrent, whereas another maintains that preventive and rehabilitative measures reach the
roots of wrongdoing. While I acknowledge the deterrent value of severe sentences, I ultimately favour
policies that pre-empt crime and reform offenders.
Supporters of extended imprisonment emphasise two points. First, a harsher tariff raises the perceived
cost of offending, discouraging rational criminals. Second, prolonged confinement incapacitates
habitual law-breakers, shielding the public. New York’s murder rate fell sharply after mandatory-
minimum laws, a statistic often cited as proof. Yet this logic assumes offenders weigh risks and that
prison reforms them; recidivism data, with over half re-offending within three years, contradicts both
claims. Ballooning prison budgets also divert resources from policing and education, arguably
weakening long-term security.
By contrast, alternative strategies tackle causes rather than symptoms. Investment in early-childhood
education, youth mentoring and affordable mental-health care has cut juvenile offending in Norway and
Japan. Within the justice system, restorative schemes—where perpetrators compensate victims—have
reduced re-offending by fostering empathy and social ties. Equally, vocational training delivered inside
Finland’s modern “open” prisons equips inmates for employment, pushing relapse rates below 20 per
cent. These initiatives cost less per capita than traditional incarceration and avoid the stigmatic spiral
that turns minor offenders into career criminals.
In my view, society should reserve long sentences for irredeemably violent or organised criminals while
funnelling most resources into proven preventive and rehabilitative programmes. Such a balanced
model safeguards communities today and, by turning potential offenders into productive citizens,
secures them tomorrow.
(283 words, band 9)
