Final answer:
Cesare Beccaria asserted that individuals choose to commit crimes and are therefore responsible for their actions. His belief emphasizes human rationality and free will over deterministic perspectives suggesting that behavior is influenced by external or internal compulsions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cesare Beccaria believed that individuals are responsible for their actions because they choose to commit crimes. He postulated that people are fundamentally rational beings with free will, who weigh the consequences of their actions against the benefits before making a decision. This perspective contrasts with deterministic views which suggest that external factors or internal compulsions greatly influence an individual's choice, essentially arguing against the existence of free will in human behavior.
The debate on whether humans have free will or if they are predestined to act in certain ways continues to be significant in the field of ethics, law, and psychology. However, Beccaria’s view presents a strong argument for individual agency and accountability. According to Beccaria, people choose their actions, and thus when they engage in criminal behavior, they do so of their own volition, making them fully responsible for their misconduct.