Some people believe that there should be fixed punishment 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 punishme

How to punish a criminal appropriately has always been a heated topic throughout thousands of years among different countries. Some people argue that fixed punishments should be made for various kind of crime, whereas in contrast some people advocate that laws should be humanitarian according to diverse circumstances and motivations. In fact, both arguments are reasonable to some extend and can be combined to create a harmonious and peaceful society.

With regards to the opinion that government should regulate fixed laws in line with the seriousness of the crime, there are some explanations to proof this idea. To begin with, it signifies the justice of law in the society. If all the punishments are decided according to the willingness of the judge, there definitely exists unfair justification due to judge’s emotional partiality. In addition to this, if there are no fixed punishment, this phenomena will give rise to corruption and more violent crimes, as wealthy and entitled people are not afraid of committing a crime since they can use money and authority to make a deal with the judge. Therefore, it is apparent that without fixed regulations on punishments, the society would like to be in disorder.

In terms of the conception that when deciding on the punishment, the judge should consider the real circumstances and the motivations of criminals. It should be realized that some people committing a crime are subject to poor living standards and have to rob or steal things to keep their living. Besides, there are some juvenile offenses caused by adolescents who have no correct perception in mind of criminals and should be given a chance to reshape themselves for the bright future.

As far as I am concerned, I take the view that when deciding on the offense, the judge, in most cases, should punish the criminal in accordance with the fixed law system in order to show justice to the public. However, when the offense is committed because of some particular reasons, the judge should take into account of the real circumstances and motivations of the criminal and give a lesser punishment, which represents a humanitarian society.