Cesare Bonesana di Beccaria (1738-1794) 
 
Beccaria laid out his ideas about legal reform including how and why to create effective punishments. 
His Essay was highly influential during the Enlightenment, and it may have served as a model during the 
creation of the American Criminal Justice system. For example, Beccaria advocated that punishments should 
fit the crime and be proportional to the harm done, laws should only be determined by the legislature, judges 
should only determine guilt, and every person should be treated equally under the law. He claimed the sole 
purpose of the law was to deter people from committing the crime. Deterrence can be accomplished if the 
punishment is certain, swift, and severe. These may seem like common sense today, but they were considered 
radical ideas at the time. 
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) was an English philosopher and regarded as a founder of utilitarianism, 
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