Beccaria was a prominent member of the "Milanese School" of Political Thought. The nature of the Austrian Empire’s rule in Lombardy immediately preceding Napoleon saw Imperial governors rely extensively on the local aristocracy to rule. The awarding of governmental responsibilities to prominent local intellectuals created a space for the emergence of a “Milanese” school of thought regarding good government.

Cesare Beccaria's most notable contribution to the philosophy of jurisprudence is his argument against the death penalty appearing in his 1764 treaties titled, Dei delitti e delle pene ("On Crime and Punishment"). He also came out against the use of torture as punishment, and argued against preemptive detention. Diderot, Voltaire, and a whole bunch of French intellectuals praised the book warmly, who invited Beccaria to visit them in Paris in the late 1760s.