"The laws receive their force and authority from an oath of fidelity, either tacit or expressed, which living subjects have sworn to their sovereign, in order to restrain the intestine fermentation of the private interest of individuals."
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.