Emotional Trials: Moral Dilemmas of Women Criminal Defense Attorneys (New England Gender, Crime & Law) - Softcover

Siemsen, Cynthia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 155553614X ISBN 13: 9781555536145

Publisher: Northeastern University Press, 2004

Synopsis

Explores how female defense attorneys balance feminist ideology against the defense of men accused of rape and other crimes against women.

About this title

About the Author:

Cynthia Siemsen is Assistant Professor of Sociology at California State University at Chico. Claire Renzetti, editor of the Northeastern Series on Gender, Crime, and Law, is Professor of Sociology at St. Joseph's University. She divides her time between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Dayton, Ohio.

From Booklist:

Sociologist Siemsen sought to discover how female defense attorneys balance feminist ideology against the defense of men accused of rape and other crimes against women. What she found was that female lawyers working in this area clammed up when she posed the oft-asked question, "How could you defend these men?" So in pursuing her research, she refined her questions: "Given that you defend these men, do you find it troubling?" proved much less threatening. While they do struggle with the core question, most of the lawyers interviewed felt that their belief in a fair trial for everyone supersedes qualms about the crime itself. In fact, many women felt that their work does not "betray" their gender but rather supports the feminist notion that all human beings should be treated equally. Though intended for a scholarly audience, Siemsen's work should attract general readers as well, given the popular interest in the topic. A fascinating look into how female attorneys deal with the moral dilemmas of their work. Mary Frances Wilkens
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About this edition

• Publisher: Northeastern University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 155553614X
• ISBN 13: 9781555536145
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240