Beccaria's Reforms: Neoclassical Schools Vs Classical Schools

1a. The concept of Beccaria’s reforms that I find the least practical is the act of carrying out the proper punishment based on the crime committed. Therefore, suggesting punishment specified should match or be equivalent to the unethical behavior regardless of the type of offense. In addition, the act of such punishment could also be considered ethical since it considers the overall intent rather than who a person has certain relations.

1b. The concept of Beccaria’s reforms that I find the most practical is educating individuals on how the laws operate in the justice system. Having adequate knowledge of these unrestricted exposures on regulations would help as an effort to comprehend the consequences if they would occur. Consequently,
knowing how the justice system operates ahead of time could also assist society by being a deterrent and deemed beneficial for all those who are willing to protect others. Plus, these exposures would lead to less crime or less violation of breaking the law. Lastly, if an individual commits a crime, they would have no grounds to stand on since the punishment information would be public knowledge. On the other hand, some people may not care to know this information and would still commit a crime.

2a.
The difference between Neoclassical school and the traditional Classical school is that Neoclassical is a more reformed version of the Classical school. Furthermore, the reformed version allows the justice system to discipline an individual based on their offense properly. A perfect example is satisfying adequate time served equally as someone with the same offense has received. Another difference between the two schools is that the Neoclassical is the most common model used which includes all Western societies. Although neoclassical school has a higher existence in Western societies, a small percentage of the old tradition still exists. The Classical school was also predominantly practiced in the eighteenth and nineteenth century while the Neoclassical is current from the early 1900s. Lastly, justifying how someone is punished is another difference. The Classical school had known repercussions for such individuals who had previously been imprisoned and awaited another sentence for a recurring offense. A perfect example of this behavior reminds me of a family situation where my cousin was killed in a car accident. The lady who killed my cousin instantly was drinking while intoxicated; she received no sentence and was released on bail. Two weeks later, she committed the crime again for the second time. This time she awaited her sentence while in jail; unfortunately, she took her life while waiting for her sentence. Therefore, if the courts would have
properly kept her the first time maybe she wouldn’t have killed a second person let alone commit suicide.

2b. Yes, I believe that the Neoclassical school was an improvement to society compared to the traditional Classical school. The Neoclassical school took into consideration the circumstances of the people and the environment that the offense occurred. Such behavior would then leave no room for favoritism or to allow an act of unethical conduct. It also operates in a way that maximizes utility for the benefit of all that are involved.