Cesare Beccaria 1738 – 1794
Cesare Beccaria was an Italian philosopher, jurist, and economist and the foundational figure of modern criminology. His treatise On Crimes and Punishments, published anonymously in 1764, mounted a sustained Enlightenment critique of the criminal justice systems of his day, rejecting torture and the death penalty and arguing that the legitimacy and effectiveness of punishment depend on its certainty and proportionality rather than its cruelty. The book was translated into all the major European languages within a few years and shaped penal reform across Europe and the Americas.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Italian
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Enlightenment, Political
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Cesare Beccaria:
“It is better to prevent crimes than to punish them.”
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Attributed to Cesare Beccaria:
“The certainty of a punishment, even if moderate, will always make a stronger impression than the fear of one more terrible but combined with the hope of impunity.”
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Attributed to Cesare Beccaria:
“Punishments should be in proportion to the crime.”
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Attributed to Cesare Beccaria:
“The death penalty is neither a useful nor a necessary punishment.”
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Attributed to Cesare Beccaria:
“Every act of authority of one man over another for which there is no absolute necessity is tyrannical.”