Free Capital Punishment: Mills Application Of The Principle Of Utility Essay Example

While it is true that Mills recognizes the need to uphold an individual’s rights and privileges, he supports the need to impose capital punishment for capital offenders. His argument is based on the principle of utility, which is aligned with Benthamite’s principle of frugality, and exemplarity. Mills further notes that the punishment should emphasize on its core role; that of deterring crime; hence, it should not be imposed in a severe manner that disregards its intended purpose. In arguing for capital punishment, Mills concurs that murder remains to be of the greatest crimes recognized by the law. For this reason, individuals found liable of committing murder should not be allowed to live in the midst of humankind. According to Mills, human rights are often ambiguous. Therefore, people should not solely rely on human rights a defence for their actions. Instead, Mills proposes that people should learn continually on the principle of utility, which people should interpret it as a means of safeguarding their privileges.
In a nutshell, Mills is of the opinion that individual rights may not guarantee mutual individual security. As such, the commands of justice are the only platforms that can guarantee individual security. From this analysis, Mills utilizes the utility principle to support the use of capital punishment on capital offenders, especially murderers. This is because other forms of punishments such as fines and jail terms imposed on people who have committed murder and their capital offenses shows that concerns about life were not taken seriously. Concurrently, an individual who has committed murder should also forfeit his or her own life, which can only be possible through the imposition of a death sentence or capital punishment. Initially, Mills was opposed to capital punishment, but he later reiterates his stance on utilitarian grounds and accepts the notion that capital punishment is legal; thus it should be used to deter capital offenses, particularly aggravated murder.