{"product_id":"cesare-beccaria-the-genius-of-on-crimes-and-punishments-9781904380634","title":"Cesare Beccaria: The Genius of 'On Crimes and Punishments'","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA brand new book by eminent legal biographer and historian John Hostettler. Hard on the heels of his acclaimed work with Richard Braby on Sir William Garrow, comes a further text on one of crime and punishments under-recorded and maybe unsung heroes.  In eighteenth century continental Europe penal law was barbaric. Gallows were a regular feature of the landscape, branding and mutilation common and there existed the ghastly spectacle of men being broken on the wheel. To make matters worse, people were often tortured or put to death for minor crimes (sometimes both) and often without any trial at all.  Like a bombshell, a book entitled On Crimes and Punishments, exploded onto the scene in 1764 with shattering effect. Its author was a young nobleman named Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794). A central message of that - now classic - work were that such punishments were part of 'a war of nations against their citizens' and should be abolished. It was a cri de coeur for thorough reform of the law affecting punishments and it swept across the continent of Europe like wildfire, being adopted by one ruler after another. It even crossed the Atlantic to the new United States of America, in the hands of Thomas Jefferson.  In a wonderful sentence which concludes Beccaria's book, he sums up matters as follows:  'In order that every punishment may not be an act of violence, committed by one man or by many against a single individual, it ought to be above all things public, speedy, necessary, the least possible in the given circumstances, proportioned to its crime [and] dictated by the laws'.  A welcome addition to the Waterside Press list of biographical and historical works, this new book on Cesare Beccaria - targeted to highlight matters of both universal and current relevance - will be of considerable interest to anyone wishing to trace the development of the rights of individuals charged with or convicted of crimes, and of the importance of fairness, proportionality, decency and similar matters which may be at-risk in the wrong hands.  Civilising penal law remains a topical issue but it began with the subject of this work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePreface About the author  1. A Modest Man  Crime and Punishment House Arrest  Academy of Fists  Thomas Jefferson  A Changing World  Retribution  Break with Friends  Death  2. Secret Accusations and Torture  The Effects of Secrecy   Torture a MercyA\" Trial by Ordeal Consecrated Cruelty Bentham on Torture  Voltaire 3. The Death Penalty Ancient Origin War Against Citizens  Deprivation of Liberty Judicial Murder  Acceptance in Continental Europe Impact in England The Rev. Martin Madan Archdeacon Paley  Criminal Law Commissioners  4. Criminal Law and Punishments Reform of Criminal Justice Penal Law  The Origins of Punishments and the Right to Punish  Interpretation of the Law  Consequences  Spirit of the Law  Obscurity of the Law  The Division of Punishments Crimes of High Treason Voltaire  Personal Security The Purpose of Punishment Prompt Punishment Public Tranquility Pleas of the Crown and Confessions 5. Crimes Difficult to Prove and Others Presumptions  Adultery  Homosexuality Infanticide  Suicide  Voltaire on Suicide  Smuggling  Bankruptcy Leading Questions Oaths Sanctuaries Extradition 6. Various Topics and Imprisonment Prosecutions and Prescriptions Criminal Attempts Accomplices  Evidence and Proofs of a Crime Witnesses William Garrow Imprisonment John Howard Voltaire 7. Other Punishments Crimes of Violence Punishment of Nobles Theft and Robbery Ill-repute  Rewards for Detaining or Killing Criminals Criminal Procedure  Voltaire  Mildness of Punishments The Means of Preventing Crimes Science Magistrates Certainty of Punishments-Pardons False Ideas of Utility Family Spirit Voltaire's Commentary  8. Profound Impact The French Revolution and Adversary Trial Human Rights and Voltaire's Causes Celebres  John Adams  9. Conclusion Success Revolution  England Conclusion   Select Bibliography Index","brand":"Waterside Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51771736195415,"sku":"9781904380634","price":23.47,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781904380634.jpg?v=1758728907","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/cesare-beccaria-the-genius-of-on-crimes-and-punishments-9781904380634","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}