Beccaria's treatise On Crimes and Punishments, which condemns disproportionate and irrational penalties in general as well as torture and the death penalty, is said to mark the peak of Enlightenment in Milan. Its translations were widely read by statesmen and policy makers in Britain, America and France. This translation also features the anonymous commentary, attributed to Voltaire. - Summary by Carolin
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Chapters
- Chapter 1
Introduction
06:06 - Chapter 2
Preface by the Translator of M.D. Voltaire's Commentary
04:14 - Chapter 3
Chapter I - On the Origin of Punishments
02:53 - Chapter 4
Chapter II - On the Right to Punish
04:18 - Chapter 5
Chapter III - Consequences of the foregoing principles
03:49 - Chapter 6
Chapter IV - Of the Interpretation of Laws
07:42 - Chapter 7
Chapter V - Of the Obscurity of Laws
04:10 - Chapter 8
Chapter VI - Of the Proportion between Crimes and Punishments
07:37 - Chapter 9
Chapter VII - Of Estimating the Degree of Crimes
04:01 - Chapter 10
Chapter VIII - Of the Division of Crimes
06:39 - Chapter 11
Chapter IX - Of Honour
06:32 - Chapter 12
Chapter X - Of Duelling
02:41 - Chapter 13
Chapter XI - Of Crimes which Disturb Public Tranquillity
04:38 - Chapter 14
Chapter XII - Of the Intent of Punishments
01:51 - Chapter 15
Chapter XIII - Of the Credibility of Witnesses
07:06 - Chapter 16
Chapter XIV - Of Evidence and the Proofs of a Crime, and of the Form of Judgment
07:07 - Chapter 17
Chapter XV - Of Secret Accusation
06:02 - Chapter 18
Chapter XVI - Of Torture
18:20 - Chapter 19
Chapter XVII - Of Pecuniary Punishments
05:17 - Chapter 20
Chapter XVIII - Of Oaths
03:06 - Chapter 21
Chapter XIX - Of the Advantage of Immediate Punishment
07:03 - Chapter 22
Chapter XX - Of Acts of Violence
02:25 - Chapter 23
Chapter XXI - Of the Punishment of the Nobles
04:46 - Chapter 24
Chapter XXII - Of Robbery
03:09 - Chapter 25
Chapter XXIII - Of Infamy considered as a Punishment
04:27 - Chapter 26
Chapter XXIV - Of Idleness
02:15 - Chapter 27
Chapter XXV - Of Banishment and Confiscation
04:46 - Chapter 28
Chapter XXVI - Of the Spirit of Family in States
09:22 - Chapter 29
Chapter XXVII - Of the Mildness of Punishments
06:39 - Chapter 30
Chapter XXVIII - Of the Punishment of Death
22:02 - Chapter 31
Chapter XXIX - Of Imprisonment
04:56 - Chapter 32
Chapter XXX - Of Prosecution and Prescription
06:51 - Chapter 33
Chapter XXXI - Of Crimes of Difficult Proof
10:53 - Chapter 34
Chapter XXXII - Of Suicide
09:49 - Chapter 35
Chapter XXXIII - Of Smuggling
04:31 - Chapter 36
Chapter XXXIV - Of Bankrupts
07:53 - Chapter 37
Chapter XXXV - Of Sanctuaries
04:34 - Chapter 38
Chapter XXXVI - Of Rewards for Apprehending or Killing Criminals
03:26 - Chapter 39
Chapter XXXVII - Of Attempts, Acomplices and Pardon
05:52 - Chapter 40
Chapter XXXVIII - Of Suggestive Interrogations
03:19 - Chapter 41
Chapter XXXIX - Of a Peculiar Kind of Crimes
03:19 - Chapter 42
Chapter XL - Of False Ideas of Utility
05:11 - Chapter 43
Chapter XLI - Of the Means of Preventing Crimes
05:03 - Chapter 44
Chapter XLII - Of the Sciences
08:22 - Chapter 45
Chapter XLIII - Of Magistrates
01:24 - Chapter 46
Chapter XLIV - Of Rewards
01:13 - Chapter 47
Chapter XLV - Of Education
01:56 - Chapter 48
Chapter XLVI - Of Pardons
04:19 - Chapter 49
Chapter XLVII - Conclusion
01:45 - Chapter 50
Commentary - Chapter I - The Circumstances that Occasioned this Commentary
05:26 - Chapter 51
Commentary - Chapter II - Of Punishments
02:30 - Chapter 52
Commentary - Chapter III - Of the Punishment of Heretics
08:24 - Chapter 53
Commentary - Chapter IV - Of the Extirpation of Heresies
06:47 - Chapter 54
Commentary - Chapter V - Of Blasphemy and Profanation
10:25 - Chapter 55
Commentary - Chapter VI - Of the Indulgence of the Romans in Matters of Religion
06:01 - Chapter 56
Commentary - Chapter VII - Of the Crime of Unlawful Preaching - Story of Anthony
07:10 - Chapter 57
Commentary - Chapter VIII - The Story of Simon Morin
05:27 - Chapter 58
Commentary - Chapter IX - Of Witches
05:20 - Chapter 59
Commentary - Chapter X - Of Capital Punishment
06:29 - Chapter 60
Commentary - Chapter XI - Of the Execution of Sentences
04:04 - Chapter 61
Commentary - Chapter XII - Of Torture
04:05 - Chapter 62
Commentary - Chapter XIII - Of Certain Sanguinary Tribunals
04:22 - Chapter 63
Commentary - Chapter XIV - Of the Difference Between Political and Natural Laws
05:10 - Chapter 64
Commentary - Chapter XV - Of the Crime of High Treason - Of Titus Oates and of the Death of Augustine de Thou
10:19 - Chapter 65
Commentary - Chapter XVI - Of the Revealing of Crimes (Before Commission) by Religious Confession
08:19 - Chapter 66
Commentary - Chapter XVII - Of Counterfeiting Money
01:58 - Chapter 67
Commentary - Chapter XVIII - Of Domestic Theft
02:20 - Chapter 68
Commentary - Chapter XIX - Of Suicide
05:27 - Chapter 69
Commentary - Chapter XX - Of a Certain Species of Mutilation
02:15 - Chapter 70
Commentary - Chapter XXI - Of the Confiscation Consequent upon all the Crimes which Have Been Mentioned
08:26 - Chapter 71
Commentary - Chapter XXII - Of Criminal Proceedings, and of Some Other Forms of Procedure
15:26 - Chapter 72
Commentary - Chapter XXIII - The Idea of a Reform Suggested
03:54