Although the recent debate over the
efficacy of capital punishment as a
deterrent to violent crime has produced
informed commentary from both camps,
5 few of the “experts” cited in public
discussion of the issue are aware that
the basic concept of deterrence was
developed during the eighteenth century
by the Italian writer Cesare Beccaria in
10 his book Crimes and Punishments
(1764). While arguing vehemently in
favor of strict punishments for violent
criminals, Beccaria nevertheless
rejected torture, secret trials, and capital
15 punishment as viable deterrents to
violent crime.
Beccaria’s writings have had a
profound influence on the treatment of
criminals. However, at present there is
20 little evidence to support Beccaria’s
fundamental contention that strict
punishment leads to a reduction in
violent crime. In a survey of the
American penal system recently carried
25 out by the Justice Department, a vast
majority of convicted felons revealed
that the threat of strict punishment, even
capital punishment, in no way deterred
them from committing a particular crime
30 or pursuing a career in crime. One
wonders how Beccaria would alter his
arguments if evidence like this had been
available to him. He might be pleased to
note that the evidence does support his
35 belief that capital punishment is an
ineffective deterrent, but he would be
hard pressed to find compelling support
for his other Draconian
recommendations.
According to the author, which of the following is true of Beccaria’s conception of criminal punishment?
It is discounted by most participants in the debate over capital punishment.
It typifies eighteenth-century attitudes toward the treatment of violent criminals.
It is less relevant to the debate over capital punishment than it was two centuries ago.
It forms the basis of the most contemporary discussions of crime and punishment.
It contains an early expression of a central issue to the debate over capital punishment.
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