Why? Because it’s emotional, not a rational assessment of danger. And police officers are trained to be particularly susceptible.
Drs. James Densley and Jillian Peterson argue that because the fear defense is an expression of emotion rather than logic, the law needs to be changed. Bulletproof facts struggle to win debates or sway opinions on their own. Because the fear defense is charged with emotion, their argument is more appealing to 12 jurors. Emotion should not take precedent over logic when deciding whether to charge someone with a crime.
Read their full argument against the fear defense here.
Source: Star Tribune
Authors: James Densley and Jillian Peterson