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On Crimes And Punishment Thomas Jefferson

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In Merrill D. Peterson’s biography of Thomas Jefferson, it is revealed that Jefferson read Beccaria’s book in the original Italian soon after it was published (Peterson, 1970). Furthermore, he copied lenthy passages from “On Crimes and Punishments” into his commplace book, a notebook of his literary and philosophical readings. As an attorney practicing before the General Court in Virginia, he had an opportunity to see some of the problems with the criminal justice system in Virginia. As part of the Committee of Revisors working to revise the criminal law in his home state, he sought agreement that capital punishment should be abolished for all crimes excerpt treason and wilful murder. While he couldn’t accomplish this, he did set forth proposals

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