Beccaria (2015) defines the formation of a "scale" of punishment capable of ascertaining the degree to which a criminal should be punished depending on the crime committed . In the 18th century, punishment for a crime included extremely violent punishments and prison for very small crimes, which inspired Beccaria (2015) to make a merciful appeal for criminal treatment for these acts. Even more, Beccaria (2015) made one of the first arguments against the death penalty, as it has been shown to not be a deterrent to committing acts of murder. The state had no authority to execute a citizen, which formed the basis of an argument that the death penalty was ineffectively used as a deterrent to criminals. Finally, Beccaria (2015) argues that there should be a method of crime prevention in criminal justice, which recognizes a compassionate and merciful view of the criminal as a victim of poverty, class prejudice and other aspects of inequality that punish criminals for certain laws. . Beccaria (2015) believes that criminals should be judged according to a broader view of the law based on their standard of living and position in society. These arguments define the importance of “mercy” as a foundation for Beccaria's (2015) assessment of the use of criminal punishment as a poor deterrent to crime,