Susan Bandes on Closure in Criminal Law

In this episode, Susan Bandes, Centennial Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus at DePaul University College of Law, discusses her article "Closure in the Criminal Courtroom: The Birth and Strange Career of an Emotion," which will be published in the Edward Elgar Research Handbook on Law and Emotion. Bandes begins by observing that the concept of "closure" in criminal law is relatively novel, and was introduced by the victim's rights movement in the late 1980s. She discusses the different possible meanings of closure and the different ways different parties try to pursue different goals. She reflects on tensions between the emotional needs of victims and their families, and the demands of the criminal justice system. And she argues that more research is needed to determine what will most help victims. Bandes is on Twitter at @BandesSusan.This episode was hosted by Brian L. Frye, Spears-Gilbert Associate Professor of Law at the University of Kentucky College of Law. Frye is on Twitter at @brianlfrye. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.