Professor David Ball will be the speaker at a faculty workshop on Thursday, October 18th from noon to 1:00 pm in the Strong Common Room in Bergin Hall. The topic of the workshop is "Heinous, Atrocious, and Cruel: Why Commitment Offense Parole Denials are Unconstitutional under Apprendi v. New Jersey."
Parole boards in California deny parole for eligible prisoners based on their finding that the crime was "heinous, atrocious, or cruel." A judge who sentenced a felon to life without parole upon her own finding of heinousness, atrocity or cruelty would violate the felon’s Sixth Amendment right to jury trial as expressed in the Apprendi line. Professor Ball argues that juries, not parole boards, should decide whether a crime is heinous, atrocious, or cruel enough to render the offender unsuitable for parole.
Professor Ball received his J.D. from Stanford in 2006, where he graduated with Academic Distinction. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University from 1992-1994, where he received a BA/MA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He was a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina, where he received a BA in History with Highest Distinction and Honors in Creative Writing.
