With the alarming rise in crime rate, it is believed by some people that crimes should be categorized and accordingly punishments should be pre-decided. However, other people are of the opinion that all surrounding factors of committing a crime should be well considered before punishing the criminal. In my opinion, situation and intention both should be considered in deciding the punishment for the crime.
One the one hand, some people think that fixed punishments deter an offender from doing heinous crimes. it ensured safety and security in the society and it would definitely make court proceedings a lot quicker. For instance, Saudi Arabia has been consistently ranked top regarding achieving a low-crime index due to its aggressive law for enforcing fixed punishments for designated crimes.
On the other hand, some others argue that human behaviour is almost always influenced by circumstances. Crime is no different. It is possible for two people who commit murders to have entirely different motives. Perhaps one of them committed the act with the deliberate intention to kill while the other was merely trying to save himself from the attacker while committing the murder accidentally. If there are fixed punishments for murder, both of them will receive the same punishment. This is unfair. It is also unfair to give juveniles the same punishment as adults. It is thus evident that serious ethical issues may arise if fixed punishments are given for each crime.
To conclude, it does not make sense to have fixed punishment for each crime because no two persons who commit the same crime have the same motive. In my opinion, while awarding the punishment the judge should consider not only the severity of the crime but also the circumstances that led to it.