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?Atonement? And Criminal Defense

By Neil Shous, Esq.

The romantic epic film ?Atonement? is sweeping the box office and the awards ceremonies, recently picking up a Golden Globe Award for Best Drama. What does this have to do with criminal defense? A lot, since the story behind ?Atonement? highlights the damning power of words. The story at the center of ?Atonement? deals with a young girl who, misunderstanding what she sees at a family party, accuses a young man of raping a houseguest. Her accusation sets in action a chain of events that leads to the defendant serving time in prison, leaving only to be killed during World War II. The girl?s accusation makes sense at the time and is an accurate statement of her understanding of events. But the defendant?s inferior place in the family and the social stigma of rape force him into jail for a crime he didn?t commit, tearing apart a family and ultimately costing him his life...continue to full post

Full post as published by California Criminal Defense Blog on January 26, 2008 (boomark / email).