Social problems
1. Should criminals be punished with lengthy jail terms or be re-educated and rehabilitated using, for instance, community service programs, before being reintroduced to society. Present a written case or argument to an educated not-specialist audience on the above topic.
Criminal offenders are imprisoned and released too many times. There is no real intercession until criminality is firmly in place and has become and all-encompassing lifestyle. It would appear that our sentencing policies are conflicting, often too soft for violent crimes and too harsh for non-violent crimes.
In addition, our public safety arrangements are too shortsighted. It would be better to spend more on concentrated probation and scientifically based rehabilitation programs now, and less on more secure prisons tomorrow. Too many people including decision-makers believe that rehabilitation programs for inmates do not work, although research proves otherwise.
We also have the tendency to make convicted felons an untouchable class, isolating them from normal society and meaningful employment, making nonstop criminal activity all the more attractive.
I believe that if we were to rate prisons in the same way that we rate schools: by their success, we would establish a far more effective prison system. Achievement would be calculated by the percentage of released prisoners who are not charged with new crimes within a year, and again within two years. Yes, we would need to be in command of such factors as age, past record, and anticipated recidivism rates for the type of crimes each was convicted of. However, this should be fairly easy in today’s computer age. This would persuade prison administrations to develop and endorse job training, anger management classes, release preparation programs, education, and other interventions known to lessen recidivism.
Another initiative would be to encourage those rehabilitated former offenders to become involved in teaching others. By bringing them into jails to speak to inmates and tell their own success stories, we would be able to set up a kind of adult “big brother” program where past offenders can be called on for advice or just encouragement. Is not reducing criminal recidivism worth some innovation?
2. Salaries paid to employees are an accurate reflection of their value to society. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Equal pay for equal work has long been an issue debated mainly in industrialized nations around the world. People argue that varying pay scales for workers in different employment sectors are not a true reflection of their work’s value to society. So, why is it that nurses who work around the clock in hospitals the world over earn staggeringly less than doctors who put in much the same hours? Again, why is it that movie stars and professional sports players like David Beckham earn more money than anyone else whereas those in farming who are essentially feeding the world earn less than most?
Reasons why the wage gap exists could be accountable to differences in education, work experience or time in the labor force. Nonetheless, some argue that the wage gap is attributable to discrimination. It is quite evident that certain low-paid jobs in most societies are reserved for women, people of color, and those with limited education. One example is that nursing is primarily carried out by women and when we compare the salaries received by nurses with those of doctors who are primarily men, we are made aware that nursing is among the lowest-paid jobs that present more flexibility. Teaching, for example, has always been considered to be a more flexible profession allowing women to work and have time off for raising children because of the ample vacations that come with the job.
Advocates for pay equity do not always applaud the choices that some people make and they do not want people to have to face the consequences of those choices. As far as I can see, the real issue seems to lie with the choices an individual is presented with when he or she ventures into the world of work. More importantly, what choices are available when one wants to change his or her profession later on in life?
As most of us would agree, it is often very difficult to break the poverty cycle when all that is on offer are the same jobs that were done by our parents and close neighbors before us. It remains therefore, that through education and a constant re-evaluation of the types of work we do that we will be able to find the trick to balance any disparities in pay.
3. Society is experiencing an increase in many problems such as crime and drug abuse due to urbanization. Give some suggestions to control this trend.
Cities are growing rapidly. In a recent visit to Manchester’s Urbis museum in the UK which is devoted to cities of the world and their development, I learned that currently almost half the world’s population lives in cities and that in the next twenty to thirty years urban settings will contain up to three quarters of all humanity. However, it would seem that problems associated with rapid urbanization such as crime and drug abuse are growing even faster.
Notwithstanding the human misery that crime and drug abuse causes, dangerous urban areas are viewed as holding up much needed development in cities throughout the world. Investors are often unenthusiastic about initiating economic ventures because of the threat of crime and drug related violence. It goes without saying that the security of cities is vital for economic and social development, to say the least. In response to this realization there is a growing trend in urban planning in some countries which is taking aim at wide-scale problems like crime and narcotics abuse.
Urban design professionals are now being consulted to identify areas of urban planning which will endorse security. Recreational programs for residents living in crime-ridden areas, and advice on housing management and sanitation are some of the solutions being proposed by city planners for those citizens wanting to live in safer communities. Urban developers are also looking to remodel downtrodden public spaces which are havens for criminal activity by making them more beautiful and by inspiring a sense of pride in local inhabitants.
As far as I can see, planners and developers who consult residents systematically about changes in store for the development of problematic urban areas have a far greater chance at success. By keeping those residents informed, who will benefit directly from plans for urban restructuring to reduce crime, will instill a sense of responsibility which is often absent in urban communities.
4. Nowadays there are many doctors specializing in profitable activities such as plastic surgery and private health care for privileged patients. Should doctors, however, be concentrating more on the general public’s health, regardless of how rich patients may be? What is your opinion?
In most societies doctors are treated with a great deal of respect and there is a vast amount of evidence to support why this is so. First of all, they have dedicated themselves to the medical profession through extended periods of highly rigorous and taxing training. Secondly, the hours they put in at hospitals and clinics are often grueling, and thirdly, the responsibility they have in caring for patients with a multiplicity of health complaints is immense.
In many cases doctors are miracle workers in the way that they manage to save lives; although in most cases, I would say that doctors are overworked and that their health may be suffering due to high levels of job-related stress. In my response to the above statement, I would like to emphasize that in the majority of situations doctors around the world are doing their best to serve the general public with the resources made available to them.
Nevertheless, in the past decade we have observed a significant surge in the cosmetic surgery industry, especially in developed countries where it is mostly performed on women. This sudden growth in the popularity of plastic surgery has not occurred without criticism, however. Due to the amount of money to be made in cosmetic surgery some doctors are attempting to make a financial killing out of the situation by focusing their energies on this one area alone. As a result, concerns have been raised about the medical background of some doctors, limited regulations and the likelihood of dangerous procedures, along with overkill in money-making promotions. To a larger extent, with this rising trend in catering for the rich, there has been public criticism of the entire medical establishment.
It goes without saying, however, that doctors like most professionals are more liable to improve patient care when they are encourage with incentives such as public acknowledgement, improved working conditions and access to proper clinical information systems. Provided these requirements are in place, patients would be more likely to receive the attention, trust and personal care that they seek in a medical practitioner.
My final point, therefore, rests with government spending in the area of public health in providing people with the medical services they require while taking car of the professional needs of doctors.
