In order for all of these principles of deterrence to work, the people who are involved (meaning society 
as a whole) must have a conceptual (perceived) idea of the level of punishment they will receive. For the 
efficacy of this theory, three key things must be instilled within each individual in society. They must have 
free will, some amount of rationality, and felicity. Free will refers to everyone’s ability to make choices about 
their future actions, like choosing when to offend and not offend. They must also have a rationalistic ability 
(ability to be rational) to see what the outcomes of their choices will be. The third element, hedonism (or 
a hedonistic calculus), is essential. We must desire more pleasurable things than harmful ones. It is more 
probable that crime will be deterred if all three of these elements are in place within society. This is both a 
strength and weakness of the deterrence theory. 
Deterrence theory works on these three key elements: certainty, celerity, and severity, in incremental 
steps. First, by making certain, or at least making the public think that their offenses are not going to go 
unpunished, then there will be a deterrent factor. As Beccaria relates, this is the most important of these 
three elements within deterrence theory. The celerity, or swiftness of punishment, is a secondary factor in 
rationalizing for the offender. If they know how swift the punishment will be, they will not offend. These 
concepts were cornerstones to the works of Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794), an Italian philosopher in the latter 
half of the 18th century. Beccaria’s works were profound, and many of his concepts helped to shape the U.S. 
Bill of Rights. He is also considered the Father of the Classical School of Criminology, and a prominent 
figure in penology. According to Beccaria, “For punishment to attain its end, the evil which it inflicts has 
only to exceed the advantage derivable from the crime… All beyond this is superfluous and for that reason 
tyrannical.” 
1 
 
1. Beccaria, 1764/1963, 43. 
ALISON S. BURKE, DAVID CARTER, BRIAN FEDOREK, TIFFANY MOREY, LORE RUTZ-BURRI, AND SHANELL
SANCHEZ
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