【B1】 【B7】

I’m interested in the criminal justice system of our country. It seems to me that something has to be done if we are to 【survive】 as a country. I certainly don’t know what the answers to our problems are. Things certainly get 【complicated】 in a hurry when you get into them. But I wonder if something couldn’t be done to deal with some of these problems. One thing I’m concerned about is our practice of putting 【offenders】 in jail who haven’t harmed anyone. Why not work out some system 【whereby】 they can pay back the debts they owe society instead of 【incurring】 another debt by going to prison and of course coming out at the 【influence】 of hardened criminals? I’m also concerned about the short prison sentences people are 【serving】 for serious crimes. Of course one alternative to this is to 【restore】 capital punishment, but I’m not sure I would be for that—I’m not sure it’s right to take an eye for an eye. 【The alternative to capital punishment is longer sentences. But they would certainly cost the taxpayers much money.】 I also think we must do something about the insanity plea. In my opinion, anyone who takes another person’s life intentionally is insane. However, 【that does not mean that the person isn’t guilty of the crime or that he shouldn’t pay society the debt he owes.】 It’s sad of course that a person may have to spend the rest of his life or 【a large part of it in prison for acts that he committed while not in full control of his mind.】