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Harlem in Disorder: A Spatial History of How Racial Violence Changed in 1935

Sentences in the Court of General Sessions (12)

Only 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.

The other ten men who pled guilty, and Hughes, were convicted of misdemeanors. A judge sent [name] 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 men had their sentences suspended and were put on Probation. Unlike those put on probation in the lower courts, the records of the Probation Department of the Court of General Sessions survive, providing some insight into why judges did not imprison these men. [WERE THEY ALL PUT ON PROBATION!!!]

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