Bentham and the death penalty (Jeremy Bentham)

This article examines the three works of Jeremy Bentham on capital punishment dating from 1775, 1809, and 1831. Besides Hugo Bedau's analysis of Bentham's 1775 and 1831 works and James Crimmins's assessment of Bentham's 1809 work, little attention has been paid to his abolitionist arguments on this contentious issue. I review some of the developments in Bentham's position, noting where the later work corrects some deficiencies in the earlier work, and I assess the cogency of the position as it evolves. I concentrate on deterrence and irremissibility, though I also comment on his discussion of popularity in his 1831 address and his 1775 essay.