College Writing – Week 2

Model 1
Topic: Some people think that the best way to reduce crime is to give longer prison sentences.
Others, however, believe there are better alternative ways of reducing crime. Discuss both
views and give your opinion.
One of the most critical issues that many people are concerned about is how to decrease the
crime rate. Some express their belief in the effectiveness of imposing extended prison terms,
while others might think of more satisfactory substitutes such as better education and larger
police resources in controlling crime rates. This essay will discuss both views and affirm that
each method plays a vital role in crime reduction and more importantly, national security
protection.
On the one hand, it is widely assumed that imposing longer jail sentences is the most
appropriate measure to be adopted. Admittedly, it has been one of the conventional methods to
segregate law breakers from the community since many believe that the longer they are
imprisoned, the safer the society will be. Further, from offenders’ viewpoint, receiving protracted
imprisonment can cause them to experience long-term deprivation of freedom and have longer
rehabilitation periods. In consequence, this would discourage recidivism after their release,
which is certainly of substantial help in combating crime. In his article published on The
Telegraph, Whitehead (2011) indicated that in 2008, offenders jailed for between two and four
years are 7% less likely to reoffend than those who are given sentences of between one and
two years. Additionally, long periods of incarceration can act as a deterrent to future criminals.
Undeniably, the fear of being kept in custody has a huge impact on not only criminals but would-
be ones as well; therefore, they would awake to the serious consequences and be less likely to
commit unlawful activities. As a matter of fact, Helm and Doward (2012) have showed that an
increase in sentences for fraud from 9.7 to 10.7 months would result in a reduction of 4,700
offences a year, out of 242,400. Clearly, applying longer jail terms to wrongdoer has
demonstrated its effectiveness in crime reduction.
On the other hand, some also express their belief in other solutions that could prevent the
increase in crime rate in the first place. Without any doubt, better education is one of the most
constructive alternatives to be mentioned. It is stated by Bell, Costa and Machin (2018) in the
article of Voxeu that “in the classic Becker model of crime, individuals decide whether to commit
crime by comparing the costs and benefits of criminal commitment.” Apparently, the role of
education as a human capital investment would increase the rational thinking and ability to tell
right from wrong, which would discourage the participation in crime. Plus, further education can
be a key to more future legitimate work opportunities with stable income in the future, thus
preventing people from getting involved in illegalities. In Lochner and Moretti’s research (2004),
they found that a one-year increase in average education levels in a state reduces state-level
arrest rates by 11 percent or more. Apart from better education, increasing the number of police
officers can be valuable in detecting crimes early. It is common knowledge that the police are
the representation of law, with the responsibility for protecting citizens and property,
investigating, solving crime, and catching criminals. In other words, they are authorized to
ensure people obey the law. Accordingly, the appearance of the police on streets, even without
any arrest and prevention, can be a crime deterrent as the criminals might feel apprehensive
about the police’s supervision and investigation. Yeong (2019) has proved that one additional
police officer can prevent 1.4% thefts, 0.36% motor vehicle thefts and 1.8% property crimes
each month.
Taking everything into consideration, it is my belief that prolonged prison periods, higher
education as well as additional police capability equally prove themselves as indispensable
tools for the reduction of crime rates. Not only do they contribute to crime control but they
undertake the mission of promoting sustainable development, the principal purpose that every
country aims to accomplish.
 Model 2 – Breaking the Rules
College and high school students often look for short cuts to make their work easier. To achieve
a good grade, students are sometimes tempted to cheat. One of the most frequent ways of
cheating is to buy essays off the Internet. This may result in a good grade. However, plagiarism
is irresponsible from a social and an academic standpoint.
First, plagiarism is socially unacceptable. Students are expected by teachers and their
classmates to do their own work. If a student plagiarizes, he or she violates that trust. This may
damage the relationship between the student and the teacher, as well as the relationship with
classmates. I remember once when a student was discovered to have plagiarized his essay.
We were angry that our classmate had lied to us. It was an embarrassment for everyone – the
institution, the instructor and the student – to discover that he had been cheating all along.
Plagiarism is also wrong because it is against academic policy. Even though buying essays and
presenting them as your own may save time initially, this practice is against university rules. In
fact, universities have ways to prove if students have plagiarized. Instructors can use software
that compares a student essay and material on the Internet. This way, instructors can detect if a
particular essay was copied. The consequences are very serious. I remember when one of my
classmates started buying essays to prove that he was an excellent student. After the final
exam, our instructor found his essay on a website and the student was expelled.
Opponents may say that many students at community colleges have busy schedules and may
have trouble completing their assignments on time. Because of this situation, they sometimes
have no choice but to buy essays off the Internet. Admittedly, students have a heavy workload.
However, buying essays off the Internet should never be the solution. Instead, students might
try to negotiate the deadline with their instructor. People holding an opposite opinion also argue
that this practice may help some students who struggle in writing to receive an A. Nevertheless,
there are many ways in which those students can improve their writing. For example, they may
go to a writing center for help. Moreover, if they plagiarize, they will not develop their own
writing and critical thinking skills. As a result, they may not be prepared to pass their final
exams. In the end, plagiarizing is harmful to a student’s own academic success.
I believe that university authorities should discourage plagiarism by making students more
aware of the problems it causes. Plagiarism damages classroom relationships. It also violates
school policies and prevents students from realizing their own potential. If we do not stop
plagiarism, many students will lose out on their education.