Son of Sam Agree or Disagree
Son of Sam Law
Agree or Disagree?
Abstract
Son of Sam Law – Should convicted criminals be able to profit from their crime? If a person is convicted of murdering an individual and writes a book to tell their story, they should not be able to earn money from the profit of their book. Some people believe that it can be a good way to earn money for the criminal’s defense,while othersmaintain that any money earned should be given to the victim’s family or even create some type of trust account for future victims or programs to help others.
Son of Sam Law While watching the news the other day, I caught a story about a criminal who wanted to make a movie about his crime. My first thought was, “No way!’. That is horrible for someone to commit a crime and earn money. I had no idea about a current law already on the books; The Son of Sam Law is a law to keep convicted criminals from profiting from their crime(s).“Son of Sam” was the nickname of the serial killer David Berkowitz. Berkowitz was a serial killer from New York, who committed his crimes in the mid 1970’s. (David Berkowitz)The Son of Sam Law is not the same thing as asset forfeiture; the latter refers to the confiscation of any money or assets that were gained in the actual commission of the crime. In some cases the Son of Sam Law also applies to friends and family of the convicted criminal. David Berkowitz, better known as Son of Sam, is an infamous 1970s New York City serial killer who killed six people and wounded several others. His crimes became legendary because of the bizarre content in the letters that he wrote to the police and the media and his reasons for committing the attacks. (Charles Montaldo) After intense media coverage, David Berkowitz seemed to enjoy the notoriety. It was speculated that publishers were offering large sums of money for his story; because of this the New York Legislature enacted the Son of Sam Law. According to the Federal Son of Sam Statute (18 USCS § 3681
Agree or Disagree?
Abstract
Son of Sam Law – Should convicted criminals be able to profit from their crime? If a person is convicted of murdering an individual and writes a book to tell their story, they should not be able to earn money from the profit of their book. Some people believe that it can be a good way to earn money for the criminal’s defense,while othersmaintain that any money earned should be given to the victim’s family or even create some type of trust account for future victims or programs to help others.
Son of Sam Law While watching the news the other day, I caught a story about a criminal who wanted to make a movie about his crime. My first thought was, “No way!’. That is horrible for someone to commit a crime and earn money. I had no idea about a current law already on the books; The Son of Sam Law is a law to keep convicted criminals from profiting from their crime(s).“Son of Sam” was the nickname of the serial killer David Berkowitz. Berkowitz was a serial killer from New York, who committed his crimes in the mid 1970’s. (David Berkowitz)The Son of Sam Law is not the same thing as asset forfeiture; the latter refers to the confiscation of any money or assets that were gained in the actual commission of the crime. In some cases the Son of Sam Law also applies to friends and family of the convicted criminal. David Berkowitz, better known as Son of Sam, is an infamous 1970s New York City serial killer who killed six people and wounded several others. His crimes became legendary because of the bizarre content in the letters that he wrote to the police and the media and his reasons for committing the attacks. (Charles Montaldo) After intense media coverage, David Berkowitz seemed to enjoy the notoriety. It was speculated that publishers were offering large sums of money for his story; because of this the New York Legislature enacted the Son of Sam Law. According to the Federal Son of Sam Statute (18 USCS § 3681
References: ‘Son of Sam’ statutes: federal and state summary. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2013, from First Amendment Center: http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/son-of-sam-statutes-federal-and-state-summary#federal Charles Montaldo, A. G. (n.d.). David Berkowitz - The Son of Sam . Retrieved February 14, 2014, from www.about.com: http://crime.about.com/od/murder/p/sonofsam.htm David Berkowitz. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2013, from All Serial Killers: http://www.allserialkillers.com/david_berkowitz.htm Sealey, G. (2012, July 18). Court Revisits 'Son of Sam ' Law. Retrieved February 14, 2013, from www.abc.go.com: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96479&page=1 Victims of Crime Act 1984. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2013, from The Free Dictionary: http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Victims+of+Crime+Act+of+1984