Black Rage Confronts the Law
Paul Harris
Μαΐ 1997 · Critical America Βιβλίο 19 · NYU Press
ebook
306
Σελίδες
family_home
Κατάλληλο
info
reportΟι αξιολογήσεις και οι κριτικές δεν επαληθεύονται Μάθετε περισσότερα
Σχετικά με το ebook
Traces the origins of the black rage defense in criminal court history
In 1971, Paul Harris pioneered the modern version of the black rage defense when he successfully defended a young black man charged with armed bank robbery. Dubbed one of the most novel criminal defenses in American history by Vanity Fair, the black rage defense is enormously controversial, frequently dismissed as irresponsible, nothing less than a harbinger of anarchy. Consider the firestorm of protest that resulted when the defense for Colin Ferguson, the gunman who murdered numerous passengers on a New York commuter train, claimed it was considering a black rage defense.
In this thought-provoking book, Harris traces the origins of the black rage defense back through American history, recreating numerous dramatic trials along the way. For example, he recounts in vivid detail how Clarence Darrow, defense attorney in the famous Scopes Monkey trial, first introduced the notion of an environmental hardship defense in 1925 while defending a black family who shot into a drunken white mob that had encircled their home.
Emphasizing that the black rage defense must be enlisted responsibly and selectively, Harris skillfully distinguishes between applying an environmental defense and simply blaming society, in the abstract, for individual crimes. If Ferguson had invoked such a defense, in Harris's words, it would have sent a superficial, wrong-headed, blame-everything-on-racism message. Careful not to succumb to easy generalizations, Harris also addresses the possibilities of a white rage defense and the more recent phenomenon of cultural defenses. He illustrates how a person's environment can, and does, affect his or her life and actions, how even the most rational person can become criminally deranged, when bludgeoned into hopelessness by exploitation, racism, and relentless poverty.
In 1971, Paul Harris pioneered the modern version of the black rage defense when he successfully defended a young black man charged with armed bank robbery. Dubbed one of the most novel criminal defenses in American history by Vanity Fair, the black rage defense is enormously controversial, frequently dismissed as irresponsible, nothing less than a harbinger of anarchy. Consider the firestorm of protest that resulted when the defense for Colin Ferguson, the gunman who murdered numerous passengers on a New York commuter train, claimed it was considering a black rage defense.
In this thought-provoking book, Harris traces the origins of the black rage defense back through American history, recreating numerous dramatic trials along the way. For example, he recounts in vivid detail how Clarence Darrow, defense attorney in the famous Scopes Monkey trial, first introduced the notion of an environmental hardship defense in 1925 while defending a black family who shot into a drunken white mob that had encircled their home.
Emphasizing that the black rage defense must be enlisted responsibly and selectively, Harris skillfully distinguishes between applying an environmental defense and simply blaming society, in the abstract, for individual crimes. If Ferguson had invoked such a defense, in Harris's words, it would have sent a superficial, wrong-headed, blame-everything-on-racism message. Careful not to succumb to easy generalizations, Harris also addresses the possibilities of a white rage defense and the more recent phenomenon of cultural defenses. He illustrates how a person's environment can, and does, affect his or her life and actions, how even the most rational person can become criminally deranged, when bludgeoned into hopelessness by exploitation, racism, and relentless poverty.
Σχετικά με τον συγγραφέα
Paul Harris worked with the San Francisco Community Law Collective for sixteen years, during which time he was described as one of the best criminal defense lawyers in America. A past president of the National Lawyers Guild, he is Charles Garry Professor of Law at New College, a public-interest law school in San Francisco. He received his J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.
Αξιολογήστε αυτό το ebook
Πείτε μας τη γνώμη σας.
Πληροφορίες ανάγνωσης
Smartphone και tablet
Εγκαταστήστε την εφαρμογή Βιβλία Google Play για Android και iPad/iPhone. Συγχρονίζεται αυτόματα με τον λογαριασμό σας και σας επιτρέπει να διαβάζετε στο διαδίκτυο ή εκτός σύνδεσης, όπου κι αν βρίσκεστε.
Φορητοί και επιτραπέζιοι υπολογιστές
Μπορείτε να ακούσετε ηχητικά βιβλία τα οποία αγοράσατε στο Google Play, χρησιμοποιώντας το πρόγραμμα περιήγησης στον ιστό του υπολογιστή σας.
eReader και άλλες συσκευές
Για να διαβάσετε περιεχόμενο σε συσκευές e-ink, όπως είναι οι συσκευές Kobo eReader, θα χρειαστεί να κατεβάσετε ένα αρχείο και να το μεταφέρετε στη συσκευή σας. Ακολουθήστε τις αναλυτικές οδηγίες του Κέντρου βοήθειας για να μεταφέρετε αρχεία σε υποστηριζόμενα eReader.
