Thursday, Oct. 13: Book Talk by Professor John Bessler

Join the Human Rights Center and Riesenfeld Rare Books Center for a book talk with Professor John Bessler (U. Baltimore). Bessler will discuss his new book, Private Prosecution in America: Its Origins, History, and Unconstitutionality in the Twenty-First Century (2022), the first comprehensive and historical examination of a practice that dates to the colonial era. In Private Prosecution in America, Bessler shows how private prosecutors—acting on their own behalf, as next of kin, or through retained counsel—have initiated and handled prosecutions and sought the punishment of offenders, including in capital cases.

Private prosecution is still with us today. After reviewing current state laws and locales that continue to allow private prosecutions by interested parties, Bessler makes the case that such prosecutions violate defendants' constitutional rights and should be outlawed. This talk will give an overview of the arguments and stimulate discussion on an important and ongoing issue relating to the due process rights of defendants.

        

"What Process Is Due? The History and Use of Private Prosecutions in American States, and an Exploration of Constitutional Rights and the Contours of Due Process"

Thursday, October 13
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Mondale Hall, Ballard Spahr Conference Room (3rd floor)

Professor John Bessler has taught at the University of Baltimore School of Law since 2009, becoming a tenured faculty member in 2014. He has also taught at the University of Minnesota Law School, the George Washington University Law School, the Georgetown University Law Center, Rutgers School of Law, and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He has written or edited eleven books, ranging from the history of capital punishment, to an intellectual biography of Cesare Beccaria, to the craft of writing. His books have received numerous awards, including the Scribes Book Award for The Birth of American Law: An Italian Philosopher and the American Revolution (Carolina Academic Press, 2014).

1 standard CLE Credit has been requested

A reception will follow the lecture in the Ballard Spahr Conference Room

If you are unable to attend in-person, a video recording will be available following the event.