When analyzing the foundation of legal principles in the United States, that base seemingly started with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. But the bedrock of the American justice system didn’t originate with those revolutionaries. It started with an Italian.

Cesare Beccaria – one of the 18th century’s great philosophers – was the subject of the latest program in the Ohio Supreme Court’s Forum on the Law Lecture Series. The series helps people better understand the American judicial system by focusing on a specific topic, and providing expert views.