内容简介
AccordingtorenowneddefenseattorneyandHarvardlawprofessorAlanM.Dershowitz,"abuseexcuses"areenablingpeopletogetawaywithmurder-literally.FromtheMenendezbrotherstoLorenaBobbitt,moreandmoreAmericansaccusedofviolentcrimesareadmittingtothecharges,butarguingthattheyshouldn'tbeheldlegallyresponsible.Thereason:they'revictims-ofanabusiveparent,aviolentspouse,atraumaticexperience,ethnichatred,societyatlarge,oranythingelse-whostruckbackatarealorperceivedoppressor.Andtheycouldn'thelpthemselves,theysay.Inthisprovocativeandimportantcollectionofessays,Dershowitzreviewsawiderangeofrecentcases-includingthoseofO.J.Simpson,TonyaHarding,andWoodyAllen-andarguesthatthecurrentvogueinvictimdefensesisantitheticaltotheidealsofourconstitutionaldemocracy.ForDershowitz,thefoundationsofAmericansocietyareindividualresponsibilityandtheruleoflaw.Andpeoplewhoclaimtobeabovethelaw-whatevertheexcuse-arenomorethanvigilantes.Dershowitzreviewsawiderangeofrecentcases--includingthoseofO.J.Simpson,WilliamKennedySmith,TonyaHarding,theMenendezbrothers,andLorenaBobbitt--andarguesthatthefailuretoholdpeopleaccountableforcriminalactionsgoesagainstthefundamentalprincipleofpersonalresponsibility--andwillonlyleadtodisaster.ThisisisvintageDershowitz.
作者简介
AlanM.DershowitzisaprofessoratHarvardLawSchoolandanotedappellatelawyerandcolumnist.HehasrepresentedsuchclientsasClausvonBülow,O.J.Simpson,AnatolyShcharansky,MichaelMilken,MiaFarrow,andMikeTyson.Helectureswidelyonlegalandreligiousissues,appearsfrequentlyontelevisionandradio,andistheauthorofthenumberonebestsellerChutzpah,aswellasSupremeInjustice,ReversalofFortune,TheAbuseExcuse,JustRevenge,TheGenesisofJustice,TheAdvocate'sDevil,andReasonableDoubts:TheCriminalJusticeSystemandtheO.J.SimpsonCase.