... of motivating factors, which were as a consequence of "a natural result of our self interest" (181); he also argued that, if people were able to break the law and get away with it then, obviously, they would have the tendency to do so. He further criticized the justice system for severely punishing people for crimes that did not warrant certain types of punishment (such as decapitation for stealing a piece of fruit), and emphasized that the death penalty was a rather crude way of punishment. Beccaria argued that if the principles of proportionality were introduced to fit the degree of the crime committed this would give the criminal some incentive to alter his or her behaviour for fear of receiving a worse sentence. As well, in order for people to respect the law deterrence should be the key focus in alleviating crimes in the society. He insisted that the ...

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