ABSTRACT
We begin our discussion of punishment with a moral theory that will be familiar at this point, at least in rough outline: utilitarianism. Roughly, utilitarians believe that the morally right thing to do is whatever will produce the best consequences for all those affected by your action. Foremost among those who developed this way of approaching moral and political questions were Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, and Henry Sidgwick. We shall use Bentham (1742–1832) as our guide.
