List Of 12 Great Argumentative Essay Topics About Prisons


An argumentative essay requires students to establish a position on a given or selected topic. They should investigate different aspects of the topic, collect evidence and details to support their position, and write a convincing piece of text.


What Topics to Consider for Your Argumentative Essay

You should choose an essay topic that you are familiar with and that appeals to the reader’s emotions. The following 12 great ideas are worth considering:


  1. How should a prison personnel treat jailed? (Provide evidence that in prisons in China human rights are violated.)

  2. Why is the abuse from officers even possible? (Examine some cases of the problem and claim that this often happens in developed countries as well.)

  3. Should all prisoners have the right to vote? (Explain why in some countries prisoners cannot vote.)

  4. What are the potential sources of prison funding? (Prove that prisoners should have an opportunity to establish private companies to get additional funding.)

  5. Should the prison conditions, such as nutrition, medical care, and psychological help, be improved? (Provide examples of prisons in Scandinavian countries.)

  6. Should developed countries stop using the life imprisonment as a penalty? (Describe the pros for the life imprisonment.)

  7. Do you agree that rich and famous people often freeze out prison? (Analyze a few cases circulated in the media.)

  8. Should prisoners have a possibility to complete their education while they are in prison? (Develop arguments for the importance of education for felons.)

  9. Do prisoners in the U.S. have better living conditions than people in the third-world countries? (Claim that it’s unfair that criminals in developed countries have better living conditions than ordinary people on the outside.)

  10. Should punishment be the main purpose of prison? (Build an argument that rehabilitation should be the main purpose of prison instead of punishment.)

  11. What do you think about the early release practice? (Answer the question whether you support the early release practice or not.)

  12. Should prisoners be able to choose where to serve their sentence? (Analyze if prisoners should have such an option or not.)

How to Organize Your Writing Process Easily

Planning is important when you are working on your essay, so take your time to choose the right topic, collect evidence, and outline your thoughts. However, to complete your assignment before the due date, you should finish your first draft quickly, cite sources while you write, and proofread your paper for a particular type of mistakes at a time, e.g. read the work and search for grammar mistakes, then check the spelling, and so on.