num_pages: 128
description: Published in 1764, On Crimes and Punishments by Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794) courted both success and controversy in Europe and North America. Enlightenment luminaries and enlightened monarchs alike lauded the text and looked to it for ideas that might help guide the various reform projects of the day. The equality of every citizen before the law, the right to a fair trial, the abolition of the death penalty, the elimination of the use of torture in criminal interrogations—these are but a few of the vital arguments articulated by Beccaria.Long appreciated as a foundational text in criminology, Beccaria's arguments have become central in debates over capital punishment. This new edition presents Beccaria's On Crimes and Punishments as an important and influential work of Enlightenment political theory.
language: English
title: On Crimes and Punishments
titlecomplete: On Crimes and Punishments
genres: Classics, History, Politics, Philosophy, Crime, Read For School, Italy, Italian Literature, Nonfiction, Law
ratings_count: 2156
awards: awardedAt: -126201600000
name: John Florio Prize
category: Jane Grigson & Kenelm Foster
publisher: Pearson / Macmillan