"To the extent that human spirits are made gentle by the social state, sensibility increases; as it increases, the severity of punishment must diminish if one wishes to maintain a constant relation between object and feeling."
Cesare Beccaria was an Italian Enlightenment philosopher and jurist best known for On Crimes and Punishments (1764). His arguments against torture and arbitrary punishment influenced modern criminal law. He is widely regarded as a foundational thinker in criminology and penal reform.