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Shirley
The people of the state of New York v. Joseph Gibson (1919): First Draft
The early 1900’s would see urbanization and industrialization alongside social, economic and political developments to society. Although unintentional, it would cause a rise of crime throughout urban cities in the United States, creating a challenging criminal justice system. The people of the state of New York v. Joseph Gibson (1919), a trial that includes socio economic hardships, the role of family during adolescence, and a prejudiced criminal justice system, is a case that depicts the culture of the historical period.
“The people of the state of New York v. Joseph Gibson” is a 1919 trial involving 80 year old defendant Joseph Gibson and the 14 year old victim Helen Shanks. The criminal case involves the charges of assault in the second degree, abduction of a minor and the previous charge of rape in the second degree. The trial establishes that Helen Shanks was groomed over several months by Mr. Gibson with the intention of regular sexual intercourse for the exchange of money. Joseph Gibson would be arrested on May 14th, 1919 after a police officer saw him gesturing for Helen to come to his residence and later hearing suspicious noises while his door was locked, Helen would later admit to the officer what was going on
Throughout the trial we can see the socio economic burden this time period had on working class families, specifically through the view of Helen Shanks. Helen Shanks throughout the case was targeted because of her independence, whilst her mother looked over her two other siblings and her father worked most of the day. According to Mary E. Odem,“ Rapid urban growth and the expansion of industrial capitalism, which affected all aspects of national life, greatly altered the experience of adolescents for daughters in working-class families. New avenues of employment and recreation in American cities drew them increasingly out of the domestic sphere and into a public urban world where they experienced unprecedented freedom from family and neighborhood restrictions.” This common practice during the time in large cities had detrimental effects on children that were entrusted to independently venture to find any form of recreation, with family economic struggle among young adolescents many wouldn’t be able to afford what they desired. According to Rachel Lloyd, “The widely held American cultural values of materialism and consumerism are also contributing factors for young women living in low socio-economic communities, they begin to believe that their true worth can be bought and that their feelings of low self-esteem can be covered up with a new pair of name brand jeans.” In Helen Shanks’ case, she stated “He told me he was going to give me a dollar when I go up.”, later admitting she would use the money given to her each time she had sexual intercourse with him to buy war savings stamps and thrift stamps which could be traded in for war bonds.
One of the most important topics in this case involved the rape of Helen Shanks, despite the fact that Helen Shanks was a minor at the time, the judge and jury decided to drop the charge of rape against Joseph Gibson, despite contradicting medical reports, one of the main arguments for the removal was the “granted consent” by Helen Shanks. The defense and jury agreed to remove the charge due to the knowledge of what Helen Shanks planned to do in order to receive money, almost implying the consent of underage prostitution. According to Rachel Lloyd, “Sexually exploited girls decisions are influenced by their age their emotional and mental development, their age histories their environment their limited options and their extreme vulnerability to the tactics of pimps and recruiters.” She states; “While there has been a dramatic increase in the attention and funding given to trafficking programs nationally, domestic abuse continues to be largely ignored in the legislation, funding and services covered by trafficking victims protection act rather than being viewed as victims, sexually exploited young women are seen as criminals or delinquesnts and are willing participants in their own abuse. It is indicative of the double standard inherent in current attributes towards domestic sexually exploited abuse, and in New York a young person under the age of 16 cannot legally give informed consent to sexual contact yet if the young person is deemed a prostitute not only is she/he believed to be able to give consent but may also be charged with a violation or misdemeanor.” During the early twentieth century, several women’s rights organizations and purity reformers began to campaign across the country to raise the age of consent ages in order to change the rape statute, “The revelation of these low ages of consent galvanized the American reform community into action. Members of the New York Committee for the Prevention of State Regulation of Vice immediately embarked on a campaign to raise the age of consent in New York. Leaders of the committee circulated a petition demanding that the age be legally raised from ten to eighteen.” Shockingly, New York had the age of consent set to 10 years old in 1885, drastically changing to 18 years old by 1920 thanks to the suffragette reforms.
During the early twentieth century, the criminal justice system would experience a significant increase in violent crimes, with only themselves to blame. According to Jeffery S. Adler “Report after report revealed that the criminal justice system neither punished offenders nor protected the public. In American cities, four out of every five killers went unpunished. At the peak of Chicago’s crime wave in the mid-1920s, local prosecutors secured convictions in 22 percent of homicide cases. Law enforcers in New Orleans, New York, and St. Louis fared worse, convicting 14 percent, 19.5 percent, and 20 percent of killers, respectively.” While crimes rose in major urban cities, so did the tension. “The “popular impression,” the Wickersham Commission reported in 1931, was “that the jury is the weak spot in the administration” of justice.” Jurors were seen to be a part of the issue, somehow having a basis for the crimes committed, an example stated by Jeffery S. Adler states; “Jurors acquitted husbands who killed their wives’ lovers, and drunken brawlers who engaged in “fair fights,” and they returned not guilty verdicts for men who participated in mob violence, including lynching.” The result of the Joseph Gibson could be interpreted to not having enough research conducted as they ended up asking Mr.Gibson’s friends on the stand to talk about his reputation of being a good or bad person, disregarding previous incidents he had with minors to use against the case.
In conclusion the early twenties saw a large rise in violence due to criminal justice, socio-economic struggles by working class families, a new role for parents and families, and the rise of women’s liberation movements. This can all be analyzed through the State of New York v. Joseph Gibson trial, where we can view an insight into the society and culture of the time period.
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