Publisher's Synopsis
Of Crimes and Punishments is a seminal work in the field of criminology, written by Cesare Bonesana, Marchese Beccaria in 1764. The book is a treatise on the principles of criminal justice and the appropriate punishments for crimes. Beccaria's work was groundbreaking in its emphasis on the importance of rationality and reason in the administration of justice, and his ideas influenced the development of modern criminal law.In the book, Beccaria argues that punishments should be designed to prevent crime, rather than simply to exact revenge on the offender. He also advocates for the abolition of torture and the death penalty, arguing that they are not effective deterrents and that they violate basic human rights. Instead, he suggests that punishments should be proportionate to the crime committed and should be designed to reform the offender and deter others from committing similar crimes.Of Crimes and Punishments has had a profound impact on the development of modern criminal justice systems, and its ideas continue to be studied and debated by scholars and policymakers today. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of criminology or the principles of criminal justice.If the power of interpreting laws be an evil, obscurity in them must be another, as the former is the consequence of the latter. This evil will be still greater if the laws be written in a language unknown to the people; who, being ignorant of the consequences of their own actions, become necessarily dependent on a few, who are interpreters of the laws, which, instead of being public and general, are thus rendered private and particular.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
