Law Commons^™

Self-Defense In Kentucky: A Need For Clarification Or Revision, Robert G. Lawson, William S. Cooper

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Recent prosecutions have pushed Kentucky’s concept of self-defense beyond the limits of tolerance for complexity and confusion. There is little doubt that there exists a critical need to clarify or to revise the Kentucky law of self-defense. A demonstration of this need and a description of its nature are the principal objectives of this article. To accomplish these objectives, it is necessary to provide some information about the recent history of homicide and self-defense in Kentucky and to describe some important recent interpretations of this law by the Supreme Court of Kentucky.

Victims In The Criminal Process: A Utilitarian Analysis Of Victim Participation In The Charging Decision, Sarah N. Welling

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Crime victims are currently being given the right to participate in criminal prosecutions at both the sentencing and plea bargaining stages. These are important steps in a criminal prosecution, but both the sentence and the plea bargain are dependent on the initial charging decision which determines what crime is to be prosecuted or whether there is to be any prosecution at all. As a prerequisite to both a plea bargain or a sentence, the charging decision is the crux of the prosecution.

Given the importance of the charging decision, and the fact that some jurisdictions have granted victims a right …