Three felonies a day
by Harvey A. Silverglate, Alan M. Dershowitz · first published 2009
32% recommend56% neutral12% critical
Why HN recommends it
Case-driven look at how vague, sprawling federal criminal statutes and prosecutorial discretion let nearly anyone be charged; suits readers wanting background on overcriminalization and white-collar prosecutions.
Common criticism: Some find the example cases contrived and the argument politically slanted
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…for violent felonies: "The mean prison sentence for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter was nearly 20 years and 8 months." http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/ascii/Fssc00.txt Harvey Silverglate's book "Three Felonies a Day" is an excellent resource, and I separately wrote about the overcriminalization of federal law here: http://www.cnet.com/news/from-wargames-to-aaron-swartz-how-u...
on “Facebook fugitive attached GPS monitor to a “motorized contraption”” ↗Federal criminal law is an absolute travesty. Not only are the sentences typically very harsh (10+ years in prison is typical) but also many of the statutes are incredibly broad. The book “ Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent” by Harvey Silverglate was a real eye opener for me. There are so many criminal statutes that prosecutors could lock away virtually any American, even if they’ve not…
on “Aaron Swartz, Vindicated” ↗…surveillance state. Ask them to live in glass houses or give over their banking details, suddenly they have less "nothing to hide." Lock up anything you value because no one else will. Also a good book: Three Felonies a Day
on ““Reverse location” search warrants identify all cellphones near a crime scene” ↗…political opponent, they'll scour the laws to find something to get you with, or at least prosecute you until you're bankrupt even knowing they won't convict. See also: "By the people" by Charles Murray "Three felonies a day" by Harvey Silverglate
on “I Was Robbed in San Francisco While the Cameras Rolled” ↗…inches long for any reason - felony. What happens is the folks who end up in prison haven't accrued any more of less liability - instead they drew attention. If you'd like to learn more I recommend Three Felonies a Day. [1] I guess the question I have for you is why aren't you in prison now? Why did you choose to commit all those crimes, and what makes you exempt? Further if your argument is then 'well I shouldn't…
Not only small laws, in the eyes of the feds. I highly recommend reading Harvey Silverglate's (veteran of the EFF, ACLU and the FIRE) book "Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent." He discusses the issues of vagueness in federal felony statutes. Think about it this way, the efforts to convict Jeff Skilling (yes, of Enron) of "Honest Services…
on “Report: Facebook Monitors Your Chats for Criminal Activity” ↗If you want to know more, check out "Three Felonies a Day" by Harvey Silvergate[1]. (I don't necessarily agree with his take on everything, but it's still eye opening and worth a read.) [1] http://www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-Target-Innocent/dp/...
on “Warning: Wi-Fi Blocking Is Prohibited” ↗…are bound to pursue the newly found crime too [0]. Under such dragnets, which you can nearly 'grep' for crime, many more totally innocent people can be found to be felons without their knowledge. 2011's Three Felonies a Day by Silvergate and Dershowitz [1,2] is a good launching point into issues with the US federal justice system. If you'd like to learn more, Ken White's twitter is a great place to start the learning process…
on “Google Gives Feds 1,500 Phone Locations in Unprecedented ‘Geofence’ Search” ↗…non-fiction? Only pop contemporary? For an anecdotal example, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies is an account by a priest of what was happening in the New World. There's not much filler there. Three Felonies a Day by Silvergate doesn't have prolix filler I can discern. Chris Hedges and the late Chalmers Johnson didn't seem to mince words and spread them around like hors d'oeuvres or paper doll chains. If an editor…
on “Ask HN: Have you stopped reading books?” ↗Might I recommend Three Felonies a Day by Harvey A. Silverglate? The felony per day comes from two angles. One, when the magnitude of the felony is small, but still a felony nonetheless. If I find a twenty dollar bill on the sidewalk and…
on “DeFi and the “digital asset” felony hidden in the infrastructure bill” ↗Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent http://www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-Target-Innocent/dp/... Also read any of James Bovard's books; Lost Rights, Freedom in Chains, Feeling Your Pain, Terrorism…
on “A death sentence for a young Chinese businesswoman chills entrepreneurs ” ↗…the powers get shifted gradually onto prosecutors so they can go after bad guys, but that means eventually all of us can be prosecuted too. In addition to the real problems with this act, try reading "Three Felonies A Day" by Harvey Silverglate (EFF and ACLU veterine, co-founder of FIRE)
on “US Bill Creating the Great Firewall of America” ↗I highly recommend referenced book by the author of the article, Harvey Silverglate, called "Three Felonies a Day" [1]. It's a great read and details many similar cases. [1] http://www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-Target-Innocent/dp/...
on “ Black and Whitey: How the feds disable criminal defense” ↗I'd recommend Three Felonies A Day by Harvey Silverglate. It's a good review of exactly this issue. http://www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-Innocent-ebook/dp/B...
on “You cannot have a digital copy of the DC Code” ↗The US is obviously somewhat better at non-arbitrary enforcement than China, but Three Felonies a Day ought to be mandatory reading for Americans: http://www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-Target-Innocent/dp/.... Virtually everyone is guilty of something if someone wants to look hard enough.
on “An Expat Has Time to Reflect, Now That the Party’s Over” ↗