Brotherly Intervention

The New York Times, Op-Ed, A25, November 29, 1997

2 Pages Posted: 3 Mar 2005

See all articles by Paul H. Robinson

Paul H. Robinson

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Abstract

This article is about the Kaczynski brothers. David Kaczynski said he had helped the Federal Bureau of Investigation capture his brother only because he believed prosecutors shared his view that his brother is mentally ill, a disturbed, sad, lonely, isolated person, who should be detained but not executed. David Kaczynski made a painful decision for our protection. Although the F.B.I. may have eventually caught his brother, Mr. Kaczynski's help saved not just time, but possibly lives.

Do prosecutors owe it to him not to seek the death penalty? I think not. Criminal justice is a matter not of personal accommodation but of societal principles. Good deeds by one cannot reduce another's guilt and the deserved punishment.

Keywords: punishment

JEL Classification: K14

Suggested Citation

Robinson, Paul H., Brotherly Intervention. The New York Times, Op-Ed, A25, November 29, 1997, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=672841

Paul H. Robinson (Contact Author)

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School ( email )

3501 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States

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