LAW 5866 - Advanced Topics in Criminal Law Seminar

Credit(s): 2
The issues that we will discuss are the insanity defense; the so-called “abuse excuse”; battered woman syndrome; the appropriate standards of force and non-consent for rape; and the morallyappropriate treatment for juvenile offenders, psychopaths, and perpetrators of mass violence. The two main questions that run through all of our discussions are (1) why do some people commit crimes (especially violent crimes)? and (2) do any of these explanations qualify as genuine excuses?