A very good morning to all of you...

In my speech today, I am going to whether severe punishment is the only way to correct wrongdoers. Actually, we must think twice about this matter. In our society, there are many people considered to be wrongdoers. Thieves, Robbers, Burglers, Smugglers, Rapists, urderers are among them. At the same time, many people believe that these people should be punished severely and outcasted from civilised society. !owever, there is always another facet to this problem. In many situations these wrongdoers have been led to the wrong path by certain other factors beyon their control. Sometimes, various social, economic, and political factors also adversely contribute to the making of a criminal. "or e#ample, let$s take Ri%ana &afeek, the Sri 'ankan who was beheaded under the sharia law in the middle east. (ven though she is not a criminal in reality, she had to suffer a tragic fate because of her ab)ect poverty on the one had and the inhuman legal system on the other hand. 'ikewise , there are many situations where severe punishment of those who are supposedly criminals have cause so much in)ustice. *erhaps, you may disagree with my point here. In my opinion, those who have really wrong deserve some punishment which will eventually remedy the wrong done and correct the wrong doer. The most important this is that the punishment they receive should teach them a good lesson so that they wll not repeat it again in their life. !owver, it is impossible to accept severe punishment as the only way to correct wrongdoers. By inflicting severe punishment that does not tally with the wrong done, may lead them to the wrong path again to become worse criminal. +onsider this hypothetical e#ample. A young man of ,- who is accused of theft is sent to the prison where he will move with other older prisoners with worse criminal records. .hen is in unsafe hand under the control of worse criminals, he will be negatively influenced to do more wrong things once he gets out of the prison. The damage done to the youth in such a situation is not reparable and they will involve in more and more anti/social conduct. Therefore, it is worth considering alternative ways to correct wrongdoers in society rather than inflicting severe punishment on them. Rehabilitation of criminals is one such way. They should be counselled and guided properly to repent for their wrongful past. In addition, religion can also play a ma)or role in rehabilitating wrongdoers. The ultimate goal should be to turn the wrongdoer into a law/ abiding person who can contribute to our society. In my speech today, I belive that I have given a valuable perspective to the matter. 0ou may not agree with me but if my speech made you reconsider your own opinion about the matter, I consider myself to be successful.