Criminal Law

Criminal Law provides students with an integrated framework for understanding the U.S. criminal justice system with a diverse and inclusive interdisciplinary approach and thematic focus. Authors Katheryn Russell-Brown and Angela J. Davis go beyond the law and decisions in court cases to consider and integrate issues of race, gender, and socio-economic status with their discussion of criminal law. Material from the social sciences is incorporated to highlight the intersection between criminal law and key social issues. Cases, rewritten by the authors, are featured throughout the text, including detailed summaries for seminal cases which shed light on criminal law principles. The coverage is conceptual and practical, showing students how the criminal law applies in the "real world"-not just within the pages of a textbook.

Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview of Criminal Law Criminal Law Terms and Concepts Sources of Criminal Law Classifications, Distinctions, and Limitations in Criminal Law Crime and People in the Criminal Justice System The Structure of the Criminal Justice System Case Briefing Chapter 2: Constitutional Limits on Criminal Laws First Amendment Second Amendment Fifth Amendment Eighth Amendment Fourteenth Amendment Right to Privacy Chapter 3: The Elements of a Crime A Voluntary Act (Actus Reus) Guilty State of Mind (Mens Rea) Concurrence and Causation Strict Liability Chapter 4: Incomplete Crimes Attempt Solicitation Conspiracy Merger Doctrine Other Incomplete Offenses Chapter 5: Theft and Other Property Offenses Larceny and Theft Embezzlement False Pretenses Burglary Arson White-Collar Crime Chapter 6: Public Order Crimes and Offenses Against Public Decency Public Order Crimes Crimes Against Public Decency Chapter 7: Rape and Other Violent Crimes Rape and Other Sexual Assaults Robbery Kidnapping Assault and Battery Chapter 8: Criminal Homicide Definitions Intentional Killings Unintentional Killings Felony Murder Capital Punishment Chapter 9: Justification Defenses Types of Defenses Defensive Force Duress and Necessity Chapter 10: Excuse Defenses Competency and Insanity Infancy Intoxication Syndrome "Defenses" Cultural Defenses Chapter 11: Punishment and Sentencing Punishment Prisoners' Rights Sentencing Chapter 12: State-Involved Crimes Crimes Against the State Crimes Committed by Public Officials