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Celerity
The word means swiftness. In criminology, the celerity of punishment, discussed by Cesare Beccaria in his An Essay on Crimes and Punishments (1764), helps members of society and the individual offender form a connection between the criminal act and the appropriate punishment. For punishment to have a deterrent effect, it should occur shortly after the commission of criminal conduct. Delays in punishment will negate the efficacy of the deterrence model. For more information, see Beccaria (1764/1983).