Matthew Murchie, St Joseph's College
Over the past few dozen millennia, society has used punishment to deter people from committing crimes. However, in this civilised age, some people are beginning to question the effectiveness of severe punishment. Instead, they are turning to another alternative: education.
Education certainly appears to be a more 'ideal' method to prevent crimes. It is moral, passive, and doesn't require locking people up in jail. But is it really the most effective way? I don't think so.
We don't live in a utopia where everyone cares for the well-being of society. Regrettably, we humans are naturally prone to selfishness and greed.
Who hasn't been taught, since kindergarten, that stealing is naughty? Yet it doesn't seem to bother thieves or robbers very much. Littering is bad, drink driving is dangerous ... we've heard it all, whether from school, our parents or the government. Only after people were fined HK$1,500 for littering, or imprisoned for taking a swig of alcohol before driving, did we see results.
Criminals are often influenced by factors outside school or government; being well educated won't sway them.
The only feasible way to prevent such people from committing crimes is by presenting a deterrent greater than the criminals' incentive to break the law. And that deterrent would have to be severe punishment. It may not be foolproof and it may seem harsh at times, but it is by far the best way to prevent crimes.