The fifth edition of Understanding Criminal Procedure is new in many respects. Most significantly, it has been enlarged to two volumes. The first volume is intended for use in criminal procedure courses focusing primarily or exclusively on police investigatory process. Such courses are variously titled: Criminal Procedure I; Criminal Procedure: Investigation; Criminal Procedure: Police Practices; Constitutional Criminal Procedure; etc. Because some such courses also cover the defendant's right to counsel at trial and appeal, the first volume includes a chapter on this non-police-practice issue. (The latter chapter is also included in Volume Two.) The second volume of Understanding Criminal Procedure covers the criminal process after the police investigation ends, and the adjudicative process commences. This book is useful in criminal procedure courses (variously entitled Criminal Procedure II; Criminal Procedure: Adjudication; etc.) that follow the criminal process through the various stages of adjudication, commencing with pretrial issues — such as charging, pretrial release and discovery — and continuing with the trial itself and then post-conviction proceedings: sentencing and appeals. Understanding Criminal Procedure is primarily designed for law students. The authors have written the Text so that students can use it with confidence that it will assist them in course preparation, and professors can recommend or assign the volumes to students with confidence that they will improve classroom dialogue. Based on comments that the authors received in the past from students and professors alike, they predict that this new, expanded edition of Understanding Criminal Procedure will serve the needs of students and professors even better. Also, based on the experience of prior editions, including citations to this Text in scholarly literature and judicial opinions, we are confident that the two volumes will prove useful to scholars, practicing lawyers, and courts. Understanding Criminal Procedure covers the most important United States Supreme Court cases in the field. Where pertinent, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, federal statutes, and lower federal and state court cases are considered. The broad overarching policy issues of criminal procedure are laid out; and some of the hottest debates in the field are considered in depth and, we think, objectively. Readers should find the Text user-friendly. Students who want a thorough grasp of a topic can and should read the relevant chapter in its entirety. However, each chapter is divided into subsections, so that readers with more refined research needs can find answers to their questions efficiently. The authors also include citations to important scholarship, both classic and recent, into which readers may delve more deeply regarding specific topics. And, because so many of the topics interrelate, cross-referencing footnotes are included, so that readers can easily move from one part of the Text to another, if necessary.

This study seeks to present the key principles of criminal law in a comprehensive and readable style. Concentrating on the more theoretical issues, the main focus is on the general principles of criminal liability.

Understanding Criminal Law clarifies a subject which students often find somewhat difficult and confusing. This difficulty stems partly from the rapid changes which criminal law undergoes, through frequent statutory amendments and judicial decisions, but more importantly from the sheer complexity of the subject matter. This book provides a clear and concise text for those studying traditional black-letter substantive criminal law. The author takes a logical and straightforward approach, specifically designed to enable the reader to quickly master the basic principles and ensure examination success. Emphasis is given to major case law, relevant statutory provisions and writings of academic commentators. In selected areas the book evaluates the law and suggests possible reforms; this evaluative aspect is intended to stimulate the reader to think more critically about the subject without engendering confusion about basic principles. Although designed primarily for full-time undergraduate LLB students, the book should also prove useful for those studying criminal law on part-time courses, as well as those on Diploma in Law courses, and students of A and AS Level Law. It is also ideal for the study of criminal law on modular courses and joint degrees.

Providing an overview of the sociological approaches to law and criminal justice, this book focuses on how law and the criminal justice system inevitably affect one another, and the ways in which both are intimately connected with wider social forces.

Understanding Criminal Evidence is a carefully designed undergraduate text featuring a case-method approach and focused solely on criminal evidence. Learning the rules from case analysis allows students to apply the material to real world situations, fostering an understanding of the Rules of Evidence. Solid pedagogy makes the material more accessible than a traditional law school casebook text and features end-of-chapter review questions and key terms. Each chapter has a major introductory case that highlights the evidentiary issues. Several sub-cases in chap every chapter illustrate the ramifications of the rules. Trial transcripts and real world problems help students apply the rules to real situations they may face in practice. Features: Case-method approach to criminal evidence Case analysis methodology students apply the rules to the real world and to real life Features a traditional approach material designed specifically for undergraduates focused solely on criminal evidence Sound pedagogy end-of-chapter review questions key terms material more accessible than a traditional law school casebooks Cases in each chapter one major introductory case highlighting evidentiary issues several sub-cases illustrating ramifications of the rules Trial transcripts and real world problems help students apply the rules

This book is an updated abridgement of LaFave and Scott's two volume, Substantive criminal law, in West's criminal practice series.

The Fourth Edition of this clearly written Understanding treatise is new in many respects. Most significantly, it has been enlarged to two volumes. Volume One: Investigation is intended for use in criminal procedure courses focusing primarily or exclusively on the police investigatory process. Volume Two: Adjudication covers the criminal process after the police investigation ends and the adjudicative process commences. The text covers the most important United States Supreme Court cases in the field. Where pertinent, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, federal statutes, and lower federal and state court cases are considered. The broad overarching policy issues of criminal procedure are laid out and some of the hottest debates in the field are considered in depth and objectively. The authors have also included citations to important scholarship, both classic and recent, into which readers may delve more deeply regarding specific topics.

Finally, there is a Criminal Law study aid that teachers can recommend to their students with complete confidence: Singer and LaFond's CRIMINAL LAW: Examples and Explanations . Carefully designed to facilitate effective study, and written in a crisp, clear style, this book takes a practical three-step approach: Thorough descriptions explore and explain the concepts under consideration Examples give students an opportunity to test their comprehension by applying the law to contemporary fact patterns Explanations help them measure their mastery of the material and provide suggested answers and feedback Engaging student interest through stimulating hypotheticals, Singer and LaFond make their sophisticated analysis of criminal law not just painless, but actually fun to read. Both comprehensive and contemporary, CRIMINAL LAW: Examples and Explanations, covers provocative and timely subjects in eight major areas: the purposes of punishment Actus Reus and Mens Rea homicide causation inchoate crimes: solicitation and attempt group criminality: conspiracy and complicity rape defenses and excuses

"Based on his popular Illustrated Guide to Law webcomic series, Nathaniel Burney debunks all of the popular myths about criminal law that get repeated on street corners, in locker rooms, and on websites every day -- all of them wrong. He teaches everything you never learned about the law. Not just what the law is, but why it's like that and how it works. The Illustrated Guide to Criminal Law is a complete law school course that keeps the laughter in manslaughter. You start with the absolute basics (what is crime?) and are soon deep in complex concepts like conspiracy, self-defense, and yes, entrapment -- all explained with clarity, humor, and passion"--From publisher's description.

This comprehensive and clearly written Understanding treatise is frequently cited by scholars and courts in their analysis of substantive criminal law. Understanding Criminal Law is designed to be taught in conjunction with any casebook. The topics covered are those most often raised in criminal law casebooks, and coverage of these subjects is meant to complement professors' classroom discussions. The text focuses on the basic elements of, and defenses to, specific crimes such as homicide, rape, and theft, group criminality, and inchoate liability. Understanding Criminal Law also covers theories of punishment, sources of the criminal law, and overarching principles such as legality and proportionality. The common law is emphasized with extensive comparisons to the Model Penal Code and thoughtful examination of the underpinnings of the utilitarian philosophies of substantive criminal law. The text of Understanding Criminal Law encourages students to consider the approach these philosophies would take to a particular matter under discussion, thus providing an excellent learning tool for gaining a firm understanding of how our criminal justice system works.