Crimes of Terror | Wadie E. Said

Crimes of Terror: The Legal and Political Implications of Federal Terrorism Prosecutions

Accolades & Praise

• Critical Legal Scholarship: Provides a uniquely up-to-date and comprehensive dissection of the U.S. government's procedural advantages in criminal terrorism prosecutions.
• Authoritative Analysis: Written by a former criminal defense lawyer and legal scholar, offering profound insights into the emergence of "terrorist exceptionalism."

Extended Synopsis

Since 9/11, the U.S. government's power to categorize individuals as terrorist suspects—and thus render them ineligible for certain long-standing constitutional protections—has expanded exponentially while remaining highly resistant to oversight. Crimes of Terror: The Legal and Political Implications of Federal Terrorism Prosecutions offers a critical examination of these practices, dissecting the systemic advantages the government holds over suspects in criminal prosecutions driven by a preventive mindset.

Wadie E. Said establishes the background for these controversial policies and demonstrates how they impede the traditional goals of criminal prosecution. Proceeding linearly from the investigatory stage through to sentencing, the book documents the alarming emergence of a "terrorist exceptionalism" to the normal rules of criminal law and procedure. Said questions whether the government routinely overstates the threat posed by the individuals it charges, scrutinizing large-scale spying, the use of informants rooted in questionable "radicalization" theories, and the expansive use of the material support statute.

Furthermore, the text analyzes new rules regarding the generation and broad construction of evidence at trial, as well as the special sentencing and confinement regimes applied to those convicted. Ultimately, this detailed study reveals a judicial phenomenon fundamentally at odds with basic constitutional protections for criminal defendants.

About the Author

Wadie E. Said is a legal scholar and former criminal defense lawyer. He applies his extensive practical and academic expertise to the critical examination of criminal law, federal prosecution tactics, and the broader implications these practices have on civil rights and constitutional protections.

Reader Targeting

• Legal scholars, law students, and practicing defense attorneys seeking an in-depth analysis of federal terrorism prosecutions.
• Political scientists and civil rights advocates focused on the intersection of national security and constitutional law.
• Academics researching the evolution of post-9/11 criminal procedure and "terrorist exceptionalism."

Bibliographic & Physical Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

What is meant by "terrorist exceptionalism" in this book?
It refers to the phenomenon where the U.S. government deviates from the normal rules of criminal law and procedure, bypassing standard constitutional protections to prosecute suspected terrorists preventatively.

What specific legal tool does the author identify as the government's primary weapon?
Said identifies the material support statute as the government's chief legal tool for bringing federal criminal prosecutions against terrorism suspects.

Does the book cover the entire prosecution process?
Yes, the book proceeds in a linear manner, analyzing every stage of the process from the initial investigatory and evidence-gathering phase all the way through to specialized sentencing and confinement regimes.

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