The Abuse Excuse: And Other Cop-Outs, Sob Stories, and Evasions of Responsibility

by Alan M. Dershowitz

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.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Politics

341 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Alan Morton Dershowitz is an American lawyer, jurist, and political commentator. He is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He is known for his career as an attorney in several high-profile law cases and commentary on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

He has spent most of his career at Harvard, where, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor in its history, until Noam Elkies took the record. Dershowitz still holds the record as the youngest person to become a professor of law there.

As a criminal appellate lawyer, Dershowitz has won thirteen out of the fifteen murder and attempted murder cases he has handled. He successfully argued to overturn the conviction of Claus von Bülow for the attempted murder of Bülow's wife, Sunny. Dershowitz was the appellate advisor for the defense in the criminal trial of O.J. Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Reviews

[Colleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alan Dershowitz had an agenda in writing this book, and several others as well, and not just from a professional standpoint. Look up his personal history as well as current news.

The book is comprised of essays that are poorly researched overviews of certain high-profile cases of the 1990s. Dershowitz's bias is evident in particular regarding the Menendez brothers, a case that has renewed media interest in recent years, partly because of the surfacing of new evidence. Dershowitz argues that "Jose Menendez was certainly guilty of being an overbearing and over-ambitious parent", which is a clear indication that he did not look at the case in-depth, and now that someone else has accused Jose Menendez of sexual assault, to say his comments haven't aged well would be an understatement. His "outrage" is because he is birds of a feather with the late Jeffrey Epstein and others of that ilk. Dershowitz's tendency to defend abusers and predators and shame victims is no coincidence either.

[Ari Damoulakis · Rating 1 out of 5]

What an idiot! In most civilised countries we are recognising, and it is good that conditions such as abuse and battered woman syndrome are perfectly good justifications for murder or revenge, especially if the subject has really been brainwashed and manipulated or the police aren’t really taking her seriously.

[Jason Margolis · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my heroes, a brilliant lawyer and law professor with an impressive Jewish Afro writes about the various cockamamie excuses used by the likes of Dan White and the Menendez brothersto evade responsibility for their wrongs. Interesting points of view for a criminal defense attorney to share so openly.

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not just about the abuse excuse, this book covers all kinds of queasy legal issues like censorship, civil-rights violations, and self-defense vs. revenge. But it keeps returning to the absurd defenses people use in court, like Joel Rifkin saying that being an adopted child made him a serial killer. Draws on all the big cases of the early- to mid-90s including Menendez, Bobbit, and OJ. A great read.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part One was the book I wanted to read - snappy analysis of a significant trend in our courtrooms, as perceived by one of the best legal minds of our times. Parts Two and Three meandered in the realm of 60 Minutes, Andy Rooney-esque thoughts, oftentimes feeling out of context to the title and Part One.

[Rebekkila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read almost half of the books, but I don't feel like I have gained any great insight. The author rehashes some high profile crimes and the excuses people used to defend themselves. I agreed with him for the most part. It is interesting at first but gets a bit repetitive.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for an overview of how the elites manipulate and the dysfunctional abuse our legal system, then this is the book for you.