Nine black teenagers were accused of raping two white women on a train in 1931 in northern Alabama. They were arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death in the town of Scottsboro in little more than two weeks. The Scottsboro Boys case rapidly captured public attention and became a lightning rod for fundamental issues of social justice including racial discrimination, class oppression, and legal fairness. Involving years of appeals, the Scottsboro trials resulted in two landmark U.S. Supreme Court rulings and were a vortex for the sometimes-competing interests of the American Communist Party, the NAACP, and the young men themselves. The cases resulted in a damning portrayal of southern justice and corresponding social mores in several national and international media outlets, and in a spirited defense of the judicial system and prevailing cultural norms in other news reports, particularly in the South. Here, Acker details the alleged crimes, their legal aftermath, and their immediate and enduring social significance as evidenced in media portrayals and other forms of popular culture.
Using extensive media reports, including contemporaneous newspaper accounts and interpretations of the proceedings, as well as the sallies of champions of various organizations and social causes, the author illustrates the role of the media in the cases and the effect the cases had on society at the time. In addition to tracing the history of the cases and their media portrayal, the book explores the legacy of the Scottsboro trials and appeals. It examines several issues relevant to the cases that, even today, have enduring significance to law and popular perceptions of justice, including capital punishment, racial discrimination, innocence, the composition and functioning of trial juries, the quality of legal counsel for indigents, evidentiary issues in rape cases, and media interactions with the courts. More than a true crime tale, this book takes readers through the crime but also illustrates its enduring legacy.

Scottsboro and Its Legacy: The Cases that Challenged American Legal and Social Justice (Crime, Media, and Popular Culture)

History

Acker, James R.

Americas

Praeger

Questioning Capital Punishment: Law, Policy, and Practice (Criminology and Justice Studies)

The death penalty has inspired controversy for centuries. Raising questions regarding capital punishment rather than answering them, Questioning Capital Punishment offers the footing needed to allow for more informed consideration and analysis of these controversies. Acker edits judicial decisions that have addressed constitutional challenges to capital punishment and its administration in the United States and uses complementary materials to offer historical, empirical, and normative perspectives about death penalty policies and practices. This book is ideal for upper-level undergraduate and graduate classes in criminal justice.

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Routledge

This text takes a unique approach to understanding judicial decisions, offering feedback and discussion from two generations' points of view. TWO VOICES consists of edited judicial decisions and accompanying text covering diverse legal issues involving minors. To help students understand a court's reasoning and the case outcome, the authors discuss the nature of legal reasoning and the case method of study, as well as a sample edited judicial decision and an explanation and example of how to "brief" a case. A variety of legal issues directly relevant to young people are presented, engaging students in a dialogue designed to explore the meaning and the implications of the case decisions.

Two Voices on the Legal Rights of America's Youth

Acker, Elizabeth B.

Cengage Learning'

A textbook for undergraduate students of law, introducing the rules and principles of criminal procedure law using case studies to help them develop the analytical skills to understand the origins, content, and continuing evolution of the law. Concentrates on the US Supreme Court decisions interpret

Criminal Procedure: A Contemporary Perspective

Brody, David C.

ASPEN PUB.

Criminal Law

Criminal Law introduces students to the underlying principles, legal doctrine, and rules regarding crimes, defenses, and punishment in substantive criminal law. Innovative in its case study approach, this new text will help your students develop analytical skills, while learning the content and context of substantive criminal law. No other reference offers this unprecendented examination of substantive criminal law. Criminal Law leads you through theory and practice, using a blend of old and new materials to foster understanding of what the law is, how it evolved, the principles on which it is based, and how it applies to various circumstances.

Brody, David C., Ph.D.

Logan, Wayne A.

Law Practice

This Essential Resource Provides Students With An Introduction To The Rules And Principles Of Criminal Procedure Law. This Text Uses A Case Study Approach To Help Students Develop The Analytical Skills Necessary To Understand The Origins, Context, And Evolutions Of The Law; Concentrates On US Supreme Court Decisions Interpreting Both State And Federal Constitutions; And Introduces Students To The Reference Materials And Strategies Used For Basic Legal Research.

Criminal Procedure: Contemporary Perspectives

Jones& Bartlett Learning

The third edition of Criminal Law introduces readers to the underlying principles, legal doctrine, and rules of criminal law. The innovative and highly student-friendly text uses real-world case examples to contextualize laws and give students a solid foundation in substantive criminal law while guiding them through what the law is, how it evolved, and the principles on which it is based. By studying case materials, students will develop the analytical skills essential to understanding how legal principles have developed over time and how they are best applied to ever-changing factual situations. The fully revised and updated Third Edition retains all the extensive pedagogical features of the previous edition―chapter objectives, a glossary of key terms, review questions, and suggested readings―while adding all-new material on moral and state crimes, expanded coverage of terrorism, and a flow chart of the criminal justice system. Students will come away from the text with a greater understanding of how laws are applied, as well as the logic and reasoning behind judicial decisions. Accessible but challenging, Criminal Law, Third Edition will gently push undergraduate and graduate students alike to broaden their analytical approaches.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Acker, James R.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Acker, James R.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Acker, James R.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Scottsboro and Its Legacy: The Cases that Challenged American Legal and Social Justice (Crime, Media, and Popular Culture)

Questioning Capital Punishment: Law, Policy, and Practice (Criminology and Justice Studies)

Questioning Capital Punishment: Law, Policy, and Practice (Criminology and Justice Studies)

Two Voices on the Legal Rights of America's Youth

Criminal Procedure: A Contemporary Perspective

Criminal Law

Criminal Procedure: Contemporary Perspectives

Criminal Law