Harlem in Disorder: A Spatial History of How Racial Violence Changed in 1935Main MenuREAD ME: Help Navigating This BookIntroductionOn the StreetsIn the CourtsUnder InvestigationThe Mayor's Commission on Conditions in HarlemOver TimeEventsSourcesStephen Robertsona1bf8804093bc01e94a0485d9f3510bb8508e3bfStanford University Press
Sentences in the Court of General Sessions
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12022-12-03T22:26:26+00:00Sentences in the Court of General Sessions (12)14plain2023-05-02T16:16:54+00:00Only twelve of those convicted were sentenced in the Court of General Sessions. All but one had been arrested for looting; the other, James Hughes, had been charged with assaulting a police officer. Only Hughes had been convicted by a jury; the other eleven men agreed to plea bargains offered by prosecutors, pleading guilty to lesser charges.
As a result, only Edward Larry was convicted of a felony. With an extensive criminal record that included previous felony convictions and charged with robbery, which carried a maximum sentence of twenty years imprisonment, Larry pled guilty to a charge that carried a maximum sentence of only five years, attempted grand larceny in the second degree. A judge imposed a sentence of fifteen to thirty months in the State Prison. [something from Probation file that suggests this could have been longer??]
The other ten men who pled guilty, and Hughes, were convicted of misdemeanors. A judge sent Robert Tanner to the New York City Reformatory, [age/instituion details] to serve an indeterminate sentence of up to one year. Seven other men received sentences of 1-6. The final three received suspended sentences, with two placed on probation.
All those convicted in the Court of General Sessions were investigated by the court's Probation Department before sentencing. Those investigations provide some insight into judges sentencing decisions, at least why two of the men had their sentences suspended and were placed on probation. No files were found for Robert Tanner, who was sentenced based on his age, and Joseph Wade, likely because he already had a file from previous convictions in the court.