When Should Law Forgive? Contributor(s): Minow, Martha (Author) |
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ISBN: 0393081761 ISBN-13: 9780393081763 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company OUR PRICE: $26.55 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: September 2019 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Law | Jurisprudence - Law | Criminal Law - Sentencing - Law | Judicial Power |
Dewey: 345.077 |
LCCN: 2019014868 |
Physical Information: 1" H x 5.6" W x 8.3" (0.70 lbs) 256 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Crimes and violations of the law require punishment, and our legal system is set up to punish, but what if the system was recalibrated to also weigh grounds for forgiveness? What if something like bankruptcy--a fresh start for debtors--were available to people convicted of crimes? Martha Minow explores the complicated intersection of the law, justice, and forgiveness, asking whether the law should encourage people to forgive, and when courts, public officials, and specific laws should forgive. Who has the right to forgive? Who should be forgiven? And under what terms? Minow tackles these foundational issues by exploring three questions:
There are certainly grounds for both individuals and societies to withhold forgiveness, but there are also cases where letting go of legitimate grievances can make the law more just, not less. The law is democracy's girder beam, and Minow urges us to build forgiveness into the administration of our laws. Forgiveness, wisely exercised, can strengthen law, democracy, and respect for the humanity of each person. |
Contributor Bio(s): Minow, Martha: - Martha Minow is the 300th Anniversary University Professor and former dean of the Harvard Law School. She has been examining and writing about law and forgiveness for decades, beginning with the Independent International Commission on Kosovo and the Imagine Coexistence program for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. |