Everyone in the United States is expected to follow the black and white laws of the land or face the penalties; but how often do we find ourselves in the gray area? Luckily, law schools aross the country offer seminars to clear up confusion surrounding everyday legal issues for the average joe.
The People’s Law School at Baylor is comprised of free, hour-long courses taught by volunteer lawyers and legal experts. Baylor’s curriculum offers participants the chance to learn about a variety of legal issues — from buying and selling real estate to wills and estate planning.
The “Stand Your Ground, Self-Defense and the Castle Doctrine” course taught at the February 16 session by criminal defense attorney Susan Johnston, brought the ins and outs of the highly controversial law to the average citizen. Johnston attempted to decode the perceptions of self defense and convey its legal implementations.
Self-defense laws vary from state to state. For example, New York law states that self defense, or deadly force, may be used against another person only when is it necessary to defend oneself against what one reasonably believes to be a kidnapping, rape, or robbery; however, if one elects to use violence against another — especially to the point of death — his or her actions will be highly scrutinized and legally analyzed for justification. Similarly, the Castle Doctrine gives individuals the right to forcibly protect themselves or others when in their own homes. In Florida, for example, the Castle Doctrine is very strong and applies not only to one’s home, but to any dwelling, mobile or immobile.
In the course, Johnston used the example of a case that she prosecuted in 1997, in which a man was convicted for second degree manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years for killing a 14-year-old boy during a home invasion. In that case, rather than instantly calling police to report the break in, the man held the young intruder captive for several hours while calling friends to explain his intentions of shooting the teen. Ultimately the man poked the boy with the gun, which went off and killed him. The man claimed that it was an accident, but the jury could not find beyond a reasonable doubt that he did not mean to shoot the child. As exemplified by the law, simply because the child broke into the man’s house did not give the man the right to shoot and kill the young intruder without penalty.
The Stand Your Ground course is especially relevant now, in light of several high-profile cases in which defendants invoked such self-defense laws, including the George Zimmerman and Dunn Trials. Both of these cases centered on the issue of whether self defense was necessary in order for the accused to prevent his own imminent death or bodily harm.
The rise of People’s Law courses is an important addition to the justice system, as they contribute to increasing the public’s legal knowledge. The implementation of these courses alleviates some of the confusion that non-lawyers experience when dealing with legal issues both big and small. A population well educated in their legal rights is beneficial for all parties involved — both the individuals as well as the public at large.
[WacoTribe] [The People’s Law School] [Baylor Law School]
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Taylor Garre (@TaylorLynn013)
Featured image courtesy of [Xbxg32000 via Wikipedia]