l…debarred from all pleasant sights and sounds, and cut off from all earthly hope” is far crueler than it seems (Mill). This is seen in examples from Aaron Rodriguez to Mark Salling to Adolf Hitler. All of these people would rather commit suicide and die than be sentenced to life in prison. Thus, it can be argued that prison is “less severe indeed in appearance…but far more cruel in reality” (Mill).

Because of capital punishment’s appearance of severity, it serves as an effective deterrent for crime. Someone who is thinking of committing a horrible crime might not do so if he knows there is a possibility of death if he is caught. Some would argue that capital punishment does not deter crime, but Mill responds to this by asking, “Who is there who knows whom it has deterred?” to make the point that we cannot be certain how many people were or were not deterred from committing a crime because of the threat of the death penalty. Furthermore, he points out that the “influence of a punishment is not to be estimated by its effect on hardened criminals,” but rather the “impression it makes on those who are still innocent” (Mill). While it may seem that crime is not being deterred, the threat of capital punishment does influence people to not commit crimes. Imagine if there was no alarming threat of punishment for murder; certainly, there would be more murders. Capital punishment deters crime, which thus prevents unhappiness.

Mill also states that it is improbable “that the crime [of murder] was an exception to his general character rather than a consequence of it,” thus without punishment, nothing is stopping this person from committing the crime again. It is in their character to commit these heinous crimes. By executing criminals, they are being taken off of the streets, where they would commit more crimes. With fewer hardened criminals on the loose, there is less crime to be fearful of. Because the death penalty rids society of criminals that would inevitably commit more crimes, it thus reduces unhappiness.

To the critics that say that it is absurd to suppose “that we can teach respect for life by ourselves destroying it,” Mill responds by saying that the criminal justice system shows their respect for human life by being willing to take away the life of someone who violates that respect for someone else. Furthermore, he states that “it is not human life…that ought to be sacred to us, but human feelings” (Mill). Capital punishment does not hold the mere life of a human in the highest regard, but instead values the “human capacity of suffering” (Mill). From a utilitarian point of view, the punishment itself must not bring more suffering than necessary. In other words, the punishment must fit the crime. According to Mill, it does. The death penalty deters suffering by inflicting suffering, just as any other punishment for any other crime does.

Mill concedes that there is a possibility for failure in the system whe