This document discusses the history and theories of punishment from ancient times through the American Revolution. It covers early legal codes from Mesopotamia and Rome. During the Enlightenment, thinkers like Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham promoted the classical school of thought that punishment should be rational, consistent with the crime, and aimed at deterrence and prevention over retribution. Modern approaches to punishment include restorative justice focused on the offender, victim, and community. The document also examines various forms of criminal sanctions like incarceration, probation, fines, and the death penalty used today in the United States.