In 1977, the New York State Legislature enacted a law prohibiting criminals from using their notoriety for profit, commonly called the "Son of Sam" law. This law provided that when a criminal offender entered a contract to receive profits from the recounting of his or her crime -- such as a book, movie, television show or other depiction of the crime -- the party (usually a corporation) contracting with him or her had to pay over to the state all profits that would otherwise be paid to the offender. These funds would be held for the benefit of the offender's victims, or in some cases, contributed to the state victim compensation fund.
This law was enacted to prohibit the notorious convicted murderer David Berkowitz, also known as "Son of Sam," and other criminals like him, from profiting by the sale of stories about the crimes they have committed. The principle behind "Son of Sam" laws holds that it is contrary to public policy to allow violent criminals to profit from the re-telling of their crimes while their victims suffer financially and are forced to endure the added emotional pain from the publicity. Following New York's lead, 42 additional states and the federal government enacted similar "Son of Sam" laws.
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