Cesare Bonesana di Beccaria, Marquis of Gualdrasco and Villareggio, was born in Milan on March 15, 1738, and died there on November 28, 1794, at 56. He was an Italian jurist, philosopher, criminologist, economist, and politician, and is widely considered one of the leading thinkers of the Enlightenment. His best-known book, On Crimes and Punishments (1764), argued strongly against torture and the death penalty. This work became a foundation for penology and the classical school of criminology. Many people call him the father of modern criminal law and criminal justice. His ideas led to legal reforms throughout Europe and influenced America’s Founding Fathers, such as Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who used his writings when creating the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Even now, in...