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The abuse excuse : and other cop-outs, sob stories, and evasions of responsibility / Alan M. Dershowitz.

Title: The abuse excuse : and other cop-outs, sob stories, and evasions of responsibility / Alan M. Dershowitz.
Author: Dershowitz, Alan M.
Publication: Boston : Little, Brown, c1994.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Use in library	KF9240 .D47x 1994	Off-site
Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Use in library	KF9240 .D47x 1994	Off-site
Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Use in library	KF9240 .D47x 1994	Off-site

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Description

x, 341 p.; 25 cm.

Summary

According to renowned defense attorney and Harvard law professor Alan M. Dershowitz, "abuse excuses" are enabling people to get away with murder - literally. From the Menendez brothers to Lorena Bobbitt, more and more Americans accused of violent crimes are admitting to the charges, but arguing that they shouldn't be held legally responsible. The reason: they're victims - of an abusive parent, a violent spouse, a traumatic experience, ethnic hatred, society at large, or anything else - who struck back at a real or perceived oppressor. And they couldn't help themselves, they say. In this provocative and important collection of essays, Dershowitz reviews a wide range of recent cases - including those of O.J. Simpson, Tonya Harding, and Woody Allen - and argues that the current vogue in victim defenses is antithetical to the ideals of our constitutional democracy. For Dershowitz, the foundations of American society are individual responsibility and the rule of law. And people who claim to be above the law - whatever the excuse - are no more than vigilantes.

Subject

Bibliography (note)

Includes bibliographical references.

Processing Action (note)

committed to retain
committed to retain

Contents

Abuse excuses, cop-outs, sob stories, and other evasions of responsibility -- The "everyone does it" excuse : official corruption and misconduct -- The political correctness excuse : sexual harassment, censorship, feminism, and equality.

ISBN

0316181358

LCCN

^^^94077857^

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library