3-1 Journal_ Carver Michelle
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3-1 Journal: What do you think?
Southern New Hampshire University
CJ 112 Intoduction to Criminal Justice
November 12, 2023
Four Purposes of Punishment
According to a personal viewpoint, the four purposes of punishment from most important
to least are as follows: Rehabilitation, Deterrence, Retribution, and Incapacitation. To support the reasoning behind my choices from most important to least it would be beneficial to summarize what each punishment means. Rehabilitation is just as it sounds, to make things better. It means taking the bad and turning it to good, for instance, “to change persons who commit offenses, so they become law-
abiding citizens” (Peak, 2023). Being in a concentration of Social and Society Problems, allowing someone to change or give a second chance is most important. I do believe there are specific circumstances around this punishment. If someone where a serial killer or serial rapist, I do not believe rehabilitating would be the best punishment, but this should be the first punishment society should instill. Having studied sociology, deterrence should be enough for others to not commit crimes. Deterrence is seeing others go through punishment for a crime that was committed (Peak, 2023). Many of us are ‘people watchers’ where we witness what others do in social settings, for example being in a restaurant, watching how others talk or eat. Given the past punishments of others throughout time, having seen what people have gone through or currently are going through for me would be all that I need to not commit the crime they did to get that result. Retribution “dictates that persons committing offenses should be punished in a manner that reflects their crime” (Peak, 2023). This kind of punishment, though it is important, I do not believe it is the most important. How can we justify someone learns their lesson for what they did just by ensuring they get a strict enough punishment to match. Finally, what I view to be the least important is incapacitation, which is physically limiting someone from being able to commit the crime (Peak, 2023). I view this to be the least important of the four punishments because not every crime people are locked away for should result in them being put away in a locked cell.
Capital Punishment and Alignment
Capital punishment is one topic that can create a critical dialog amongst people. It can be defined as a sentence of death or carrying out the same via execution of the offender (Peak, 2023). Plain and simple, I am against capital punishment. There are serious enough crimes out there that justify having such a hard punishment. However, there is that saying, “once a killer, always a killer,” I disagree and that is why I view rehabilitation so important. From what I have read many use the retribution punishment as grounds to support capital punishment, because people want justice and retribution in a sense offers that. On the other hand,
how can one truly justify what punishment fits the crime as we all have different opinions. If capital punishment was accepted all over the US, would individuals deter away from committing
such harmful crimes knowing that the punishment may result in death of oneself? Capital Punishment does not align with my viewpoints in identifying rehabilitation as the most important
punishment, however it does add support to deterrence. As a society we should work together to prevent crimes, teach lessons and give second chances that allow people to correct their wrongdoing. Many people who have committed crimes
in some ways were affected by their past, maybe they did not know it was wrong or they never had someone to teach them properly. Providing more power to society to create change is more important than giving the government the power to establish capital punishment. References
Peak, K. J., & Herold, T. D. (2023). Introduction to Criminal Justice
(5th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781071848944
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