St. Francis College professor’s new book details trouble with legal system for those with developmental disabilities
Brooklyn BookBeat
St. Francis College professor Emily Horowitz, with co-editor law professor Larry Dubin, JD, are fighting to make the legal system fairer for people on the autism spectrum and those with developmental disabilities through the release of their new book, “Caught in the Web of the Criminal Justice System: Autism, Developmental Disabilities, and Sex Offenses” (Jessica Kingsley Publishers).
The book argues that the legal system needs to radically change the way it handles cases involving defendants with developmental disabilities charged with sex offenses; that they are overly harsh and don’t take into account the defendant’s lack of awareness or inability to comprehend the societal values that these laws police, according to a release from the school.