Cesare Beccaria : the genius of "On crimes and punishments" / John Hostettler
Published
Sherfield on Loddon, Hook, Hampshire [England] : Waterside Press ; Portland, Or. : International Specialised Book Services, North American distributor, 2011
A modest man -- Secret accusations and torture -- The death penalty -- Criminal law and punishments -- Crimes difficult to prove and others -- Various topics and imprisonment -- Other punishments -- Profound impact -- Conclusion
Summary
British legal biographer Hostettler examines the life and achievements of Italian Count Cesare Bonesana, Marquis of Beccaria (1738-94), whose small 1764 book Dei Delitti e delle Pene was part of his campaign to challenge the core of judicial thinking from its reliance on vengeance and long-standing customs, and replace it with a scientific approach based on reason and humanity. It became the first theory of penal law, and changed thinking so quickly and so thoroughly that even scholars today do not think of the upheavals in penal thought, the legal system, and society generally that resulted
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 146-149) and index
