Becarria's influential Treatise On Crimes and Punishments is
considered a foundation work in the modern field of criminology. As
Newman and Marongiu note in their introduction to the work, three
master themes of the Enlightenment run through the Treatise the
idea of the social contract, the idea of science, and the belief in
progress. The idea of the social contact forms the moral and
political basis of the work's reformist zeal. Th e idea of science
supports a dispassionate and reasoned appeal for reforms. The
belief in progress is inextricably bound to the idea of science.
All three provide the necessary foundation for accepting Beccaria's
proposals.
It is virtually impossible to ascertain which of several
versions of the Treatise that appeared during his lifetime best
reflected Becccaria's own thought. His use of many ideas of
Enlightenment thinkers also makes it diffi cult to interpret what
he has written. While Enlightenment thinkers wanted to break the
chains of religion and advocated free men and free minds, there was
considerable disagreement as to how this might be achieved, except
in the most general terms.
The editors have based this translation on the Francioni (1984)
text, by far the most exhaustive critical Italian edition of Dei
delitti e delle pene. This edition is undoubtedly the last that
Beccaria personally oversaw and revised. This new translation,
which includes an outstanding opening essay by the editors, is a
welcome introduction to Beccaria and to the modern beginnings of
criminology.
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