Abstract:
History is intangible and unchangeable. Historical
shreds of evidence draw lines from past to the present with
evolutionary changes occurred in society. The societal views and
the implemented systems in a respective society could differ from
another and be recognized as modern than the other. This paper
examines the early archaeological evidence on crime and
punishment in Sri Lankan context and tries to compare with the
accepted system as the pioneering ideologies which introduced
far back from the Sri Lankan archaeological pieces of evidence
aroused with the "Vēvälkätiya pillar inscription" in the period of
the King IV Mahinda (circa1026-1042 A.D.). Although Cesare
Beccaria (1738 – 1794) and Jeremy Bentham (1748- 1832)
introduced the specific deterrence concept regarding the "free
will" in 1764 with the "essay on crime and punishment", Sri
Lankan history indicates a similar deterrence practice before 722
years. Swiftness, certainty, and severity were known as the
unique characteristics of punishment by classical schoolers, and
Vēvälkätiya pillar inscription included these as it is and more
descriptive ideas on steps can be taken for an effective deterrence
could be identified. This purposive comparative study revealed
that the methodological discussion regarding the crime and
punishment and the implementation were done in Sri Lanka and
it runs far back to the year 1026 to 1042 A.D., which addresses
the history beyond accepted as the pioneering discussion on
crime and punishment.
