Citation

Minkes J, Vanstone MAURICE. Howard J. Crim. Just. 2006; 45(4): 403-420.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Howard League for Penal Reform, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1468-2311.2006.00431.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article uses accounts of three murder trials of the 1950s to examine the role played in the criminal justice process by stereotyped and prejudicial attitudes towards women and people from ethnic minorities. All three defendants were executed although it is arguable that none of them should have been. Ruth Ellis's case highlights the gendered nature of criminal justice in the 1950s, especially in regard to domestic violence and the defence of provocation. Mahmood Mattan's case illustrates the kind of language and assumptions about race which could go unchallenged in the courtroom at that time. Finally, the account of the trial and execution of Styllou Christofi sees these two elements combined. While a significant proportion of the article is concerned with the historical record, comparisons are also drawn with some elements of modern understanding of gender and race in the criminal justice system.