In this contribution to a symposium celebrating Joshua Dressler, I revisit the Dressler/Delgado debate over Patty Hearst through the prism of personal identity. After reviewing why personal identity presents a problem for punishment, I discuss how a "personal identity" defense would fit within the criminal law, including when it would undermine status responsibility, when it would undermine a voluntary act, and when it would serve as an excuse.
Citation
Kimberly Kessler Ferzan, Patty Hearst Reconsidered: Personal Identity in the Criminal Law, 15 Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, 367–394 (2018).