{"product_id":"the-brain-defense-murder-in-manhattan-and-the-dawn-of-neuroscience-in-americas-courtrooms","title":"The Brain Defense: Murder in Manhattan and the Dawn of Neuroscience in America's Courtrooms","description":"\u003cp\u003eCalled the best kind of nonfiction by Michael Connelly  this riveting new book combines true crime  brain science  and courtroom drama.  In 1991  the police were called to East 72nd St. in Manhattan  where a womans body had fallen from a twelfth-story window. The womans husband  Herbert Weinstein  soon confessed to having hit and strangled his wife after an argument  then dropping her body out of their apartment window to make it look like a suicide. The 65-year-old Weinstein  a quiet  unassuming retired advertising executive  had no criminal record  no history of violent behaviornot even a short temper. How  then  to explain this horrific act?  Journalist Kevin Davis uses the perplexing story of the Weinstein murder to present a riveting  deeply researched exploration of the intersection of neuroscience and criminal justice. Shortly after Weinstein was arrested  an MRI revealed a cyst the size of an orange on his brains frontal lobe  the part of the brain that governs judgment and impulse control. Weinsteins lawyer seized on that discovery  arguing that the cyst had impaired Weinsteins judgment and that he should not be held criminally responsible for the murder. It was the first case in the United States in which a judge allowed a scan showing a defendants brain activity to be admitted as evidence to support a claim of innocence.  The Weinstein case marked the dawn of a new era in Americas courtrooms  raising complex and often troubling questions about how we define responsibility and free will  how we view the purpose of punishment  and how strongly we are willing to bring scientific evidence to bear on moral questions. Davis brings to light not only the intricacies of the Weinstein case but also the broader history linking brain injuries and aberrant behavior  from the bizarre stories of Phineas Gage and Charles Whitman  perpetrator of the 1966 Texas Tower massacre  to the role that brain damage may play in violence carried out by football players and troubled veterans of Americas twenty-first century wars. The Weinstein case opened the door for a novel defense that continues to transform the legal system: Criminal lawyers are increasingly turning to neuroscience and introducing the effects of brain injurieswhether caused by trauma or by tumors  cancer  or drug or alcohol abuseand arguing that such damage should be considered in determining guilt or innocence  the death penalty or years behind bars. As he takes stock of the past  present and future of neuroscience in the courts  Davis offers a powerful account of its potential and its hazards.  Thought-provoking and brilliantly crafted  The Brain Defense marries a murder mystery complete with colorful characters and courtroom drama with a sophisticated discussion of how our legal system has changedand must continue to changeas we broaden our understanding of the human mind.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44952264310837,"sku":"ByrdShop_1594206333","price":37.52,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781594206337.jpg?v=1770156678","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-brain-defense-murder-in-manhattan-and-the-dawn-of-neuroscience-in-americas-courtrooms","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}