Baccaria's Penal Reforms

As indicated, the influence of his slim book was apparent from Russia, where Catherine the Great praised the work, to the American colonies, where Thomas Jefferson and John Adams quoted from him. The success of the treatise is explained by the author Maestro (1942) who stated, "Moreover, the great merit of Baccaria’s book — and this explains its great success and the practical impact that it would soon have in many countries lies in the fact that for the first time the principles of a penal reform were expressed in a systematic and concise way, and the rights of humanity were defended in the clearest terms, with the most logical arguments" (Maestro, 1942, p., 34).
“On Crimes and Punishments” was published in many languages all over the world and was influential in the creation and reform of penal systems across the globe. The popularity of the book may well have centered around the fact that Beccaria discussed issues that were being widely expressed at that time. In addition, more than one country or, in the case of America, group of colonies, were moving toward overyghrowing monarchies and instituting a republican form of government. In fact, it was just after "On Crimes and

In Europe, for example, Beccaria’s disciples included William Eden, who wrote “Principles of Penal Law” in 1771 (Bessler, 2009). Beccaria’s writing had an impact on John Howard, who was opposed to both capital punishment and corporal punishment in England (Bessler, 2009). In 1777, John Howard, who was best known as a prison reformer, published a detailed account of the terrible conditions of British prisons and called for changes in the treatment of prisoners. He decried the filth of the prisons, the avarice of their keepers, and the neglect of the magistrates who were charged with overseeing both. He made detailed recommendations for the proper running of prisons (Bessler,