Jerry Rosenberg
Jerry Rosenberg | |
---|---|
Born | Jerome Rosenberg May 23, 1937 |
Died | June 1, 2009 | (aged 72)
Other names | Jerry the Jew[1] |
Criminal charge | Murder |
Penalty | Death (later reduced to life in prison) |
Jerome "Jerry" Rosenberg (May 23, 1937 – June 1, 2009) was a
Robbery and murder
In 1962, Rosenberg took part in the robbery of Borough Park Tobacco Company in
Time in prison
In 1964, Rosenberg was to be executed (via the electric chair). Shortly before it was to take place,[2] he was granted a stay of execution by Governor Nelson Rockefeller based on new laws that greatly reduced the use of capital punishment in New York.[1] Four years after Rosenberg's incarceration, he earned a law degree from the Blackstone Career Institute.[1] Prior to Rosenberg, no inmate in the state of New York had ever earned a law degree.[2]
Rosenberg was incarcerated at Attica Correctional Facility at the time of the 1971 rebellion. In the immediate aftermath of the takeover of parts of the prison on September 9, he was one of two men elected to represent C Block on the committee of men who would coordinate action by the insurgent prisoners and take leading roles in the negotiations.[3] Rosenberg was instrumental in articulating demands for immunity from legal and other reprisals. Late on the 9th, in disussions with observers whose presence at Attica had been requested by the rebels, Rosenberg produced a draft of an injunction that, if it could be endorsed by a judge, might prevent state employees retaliating against participants in the revolt after it had ended.[4] That night, observer Herman Schwartz, an attorney and law professor known for his commitment to the cause of prisoner rights, managed to get an injunction against “physical or other administrative reprisals” signed by both the Commissioner of Corrections Russell G. Oswald and, at 3:30 a.m., a Western District judge.[5] However, when Schwartz presented a copy of the document to the men occupying the prison's D Yard, Rosenberg grabbed it and tore it to shreds, arguing not only that it was invalid for lack of the judge's seal, but also that it failed to address the key demand for immunity from criminal prosecution.[6] Over the three days of negotiations that followed, the issue of full amnesty (including protection from criminal charges) proved to be a sticking point, with state officials consistently refusing to countenance the demand.[7] When the insurrection was crushed by an assault by state troopers and corrections officers, Rosenberg was shot in the knee and beaten.[8]
After the riot's resolution, Rosenberg was transferred to
In media
Rosenberg was the subject of a 1982 biography by Stephen Bello called Doing Life: The Extraordinary Saga of America's Greatest Jailhouse Lawyer;[10][1] in 1988, the book was adapted for an NBC made-for-TV movie called Doing Life with Tony Danza in the role of Rosenberg and Dan Lauria as a prison corrections guard/captain.[11] The film omits and avoids any further criminal activity Rosenberg participated in during his incarceration.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Chan, Sewell (June 1, 2009). "Jerry Rosenberg, Jailhouse Lawyer, Dies at 72". Region. The New York Times. p. B19. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Hill, Michael (June 1, 2009). "NY's Longest Serving Inmate Dies at 72". Newsday. Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 5, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
- ^ Thompson 2017, p. 69.
- ^ Thompson 2017, p. 83.
- ^ Thompson 2017, p. 89.
- ^ Thompson 2017, p. 93.
- ^ Thompson 2017, p. 105, 113, 118–119.
- ^ Smith 2014, p. 591.
- ^ Picht, Randolph (June 23, 1988). "Judge Rules Inmate Didn't Die; Has To Serve Sentence". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-312-21617-7.
- ^ O'Connor, John J. (September 23, 1986). "Tony Danza in 'Doing Life' on NBC". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
Works cited
- Smith, Richard Norton (2014). On His Own Terms: A Life of Nelson Rockefeller. Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50580-5.
- Thompson, Heather Ann (2017). Blood in the water : the Attica prison uprising of 1971 and its legacy. New York. )
Further reading
- "Jerry Rosenberg". Law obituaries. The Daily Telegraph. June 15, 2009.
External links
- Doing Life at IMDb