Prompt

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.

Guidelines for Submission

This assignment should be 350–500 words in length. Any references must be cited in APA format. Consult the Shapiro Library APA Style Guide for more information on citations.

Note: For journal assignments, you can receive a Proficient, Needs Improvement, or Not Evident score on each of your rubric criteria. There is no Exemplary score for this assignment because you will receive feedback and make revisions to improve beyond proficiency in these concepts.