Now that you’ve reviewed the resources about the court system, you are familiar with the four purposes of punishment: deterrence, incapacitation, retribution, and rehabilitation. In this 350- to 500-word journal entry, address the following:

• Prioritize these four purposes of punishment.
  • In your personal opinion, which of the four purposes do you think is the most important? The least? Rank them.
• Explain where capital punishment fits into your prioritization.
  • How does capital punishment fit into each purpose? For example, how does capital punishment fit into the purpose of deterrence? Explain.
• Explain your opinion on capital punishment using the four purposes as a foundation.
  • How does each purpose you have prioritized align to your personal opinion on capital punishment?
  • Do the purposes align perfectly, or are there misalignment? For example, if you indicated incapacitation as your highest priority, how does capital punishment align to this purpose?
  • In either case (alignment or misalignment), why do you think this is?

Specifically, the following rubric criteria must be addressed:

• Prioritize the four purposes of punishment.
• Explain where capital punishment fits into this prioritization.
• Explain your personal opinion of capital punishment and its alignment to your prioritization of the purposes.

Include scholarly references to support your opinions and conclusions.