Legal Commentary

Bruce J. Winick

By Professor University of Miami School of Law

It grieves me to report the death of Bruce J. Winick, a long-time and extraordinary professor at the University of Miami School of Law. Bruce was an amazing man, passionate about his commitments, generous with his time, consistently a highly productive scholar despite long-standing and progressive vision troubles ending in near-blindness.

Bruce held an appointment as Professor of Law and also as Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He was the co-founder of a legal approach called “therapeutic jurisprudence” whose effects can be seen in, for example, the proliferation of Drug Courts in which judges try to intervene in the life and care of offenders rather than simply sentence them to confinement. Bruce established and directed our Therapeutic Jurisprudence Center. He was the first recipient of the Laurie Silvers & Mitchell Rubenstein Distinguished Professorship.

True to form, despite serious illness Bruce was writing multiple works (and planning a trip to present to a conference abroad!) right up until the last. You can read about his many, many awards, books, and articles here.

Dean Patricia White's announcement earlier today noted Bruce's “extraordinary courage and grace” which she said “should serve as an inspiration to all of us” and promised more information about the commemorations when they are available.

Full post as published by Discourse.net on August 26, 2010 (boomark / email).