ABSTRACT
This chapter adresses Cesare Beccaria’s life and work. The well-renowned jurist, philosopher, and economist is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of modern criminal law, as well as one of the most influential representatives of the Enlightenment. He contributed to the humanization of criminal law by attacking arbitrariness, abuses of power, and, above all, the death penalty and torture. Moreover, he strongly supported the reception of the legality and transparency principles in criminal law so that all citizens could be aware of the rules governing their conduct and foresee the consequences of unlawful behavior. The demand for his main work, Dei delitti e delle pene (1764), across three centuries is impressive; an approximate survey lists at least two hundred editions and translations throughout the world. Beccaria’s main work has influenced a great many thinkers, not simply jurists, until today.
