Criminal Law
Crim. Law Journal Winter 2020, Vol. 20, Issue 1
Content
- Domestic Violence Laws and the Ina: How Domestic Violence Perpetrators Attain Immigration Benefits
- Incarcerated Veterans In Need of Representation When Filing Petitions For Resentencing
- Masthead
- Message from the Chair
- New Criminal Laws In 2020
- Post-conviction Relief For Foreign Nationals Convicted In California
- American Slave Branding: Insidious Identification and Depraved Punishment
AMERICAN SLAVE BRANDING: INSIDIOUS IDENTIFICATION AND DEPRAVED PUNISHMENT
By Lani L. Biafore, Esq.*
Introduction
The 1845 lithograph by Nathaniel Currier, supra, entitled Branding Slaves on the Coast of Africa Previous to Embarkation depicts a "kneeling, frightened African prisoner being branded on the back by a hot iron held by a slaver."2 While many injustices inherit in American slavery have been argued, discussed, and written, the concept of slave branding is often mentioned in brief sentences regarding the myriad of punishments inflicted on a slave during the slavery period in the United States.