A detailed description of criminal procedures and case law as they apply in California.

Basic Criminal Law, Third Edition offers a comprehensive, well-organized approach to understanding key legal concepts and to developing the real-world skills students will as paralegals or in other criminal justice roles. Thoroughly updated for the latest trends, it guides students through the history of criminal law, the crimes themselves, and specific legal procedures. To promote interest, it presents crimes first and then procedures, and highlights current events and case law throughout. This edition's new features include: completely revamped end-of-chapter material, including a comprehensive Building Your Professional Skills section; a new chapter on sex crimes; more coverage of evidence, technology, and appeals; more charts and diagrams; new state-specific examples, and updated case studies throughout.

"Criminal Law for the Criminal Justice Professional, fifth edition, presents a complete basic introduction to the substance of those rules and laws that comprise the fabric of he criminal justice system in the United States. This book, like the fourth edition, describes the structure of the system, the theories underlying criminal responsibility, and the lements of specific crimes. The general principles that motivate the lawmakers have not changed since the development of Anglo-American criminal law, although legislative etail and focus have varied"--

This is a comprehensive, introductory criminal law textbook that expands upon traditional concepts and cases by coverage of the most contemporary topics and issues. Contemporary material, including terrorism, computer crimes, and hate crimes, serves to illuminate the ever-evolving relationship between criminal law, society and the criminal justice system's role in balancing competing interests. The case method is used throughout the book as an effective and creative learning tool.Features include:" vignettes, core concepts, 'Cases and Concepts', 'You Decides, excerpts from state statutes, 'legal equations' and Crime in the News boxes" fully developed end-of-chapter pedagogy includes review questions, legal terminology and 'Criminal Law on the Web' resources" instructor resources (including PowerPoint slides, a computerized testbank and classroom activities) and a Student Study Site accompany this text

This casebook provides the most comprehensive treatment available, including the theoretical foundations, the common-law origins, the statutory structure, and the procedural context of modern criminal law. The book concentrates on doctrinal materials that can support both rigorous technical and sophisticated theoretical discussions. The purposes and limits of punishment are addressed through Supreme Court decisions, a focus on statutes throughout the substantive law sections enables training students in the legal art of statutory interpretation as well as exposing them to the hard moral and political problems of legislative choice, and the sentencing materials reprise the theory of punishment in the context of the practically most important stage of the modern process. The 12th edition carries forward the comprehensive approach of prior editions, empowering the teacher to design a course suited to the needs of the teacher's students and teacher's institution. New Supreme Court's decisions, changing the landscape of both substance and procedure, include Skilling v. United States, McDonald v. City of Chicago, Graham v. Florida, United States v. Jones, and Michigan v. Bryant. The material on self-defense has been comprehensively revised, both for the sake of clarity and to include discussion of so-called "stand your ground laws." Statutes (e.g., the New York and California homicide statutes) and the caselaw (e.g., up-to-the-minute material on "willful blindness") have been updated. We also now include a case about the admissibility of neuro-imaging evidence to support a diminished-capacity defense, thus acknowledging how modern brain science has begun to raise both practical evidentiary issues and a substantial challenge to important theoretical premises of the criminal law.

This book provides practical guidance for attorneys on all the stages of a criminal case from the police investigation immediately following the crime, to issues involving the double jeopardy clause. The book interprets constitutional principals, case law & commentary that apply to both the prosecution & defense in federal, state, or military courts. It includes analysis by Paul Marcus, the Haynes Professor of Law at the College of William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law & practice comments by Jack Simmermann, a lawyer with 26 years of experience as a prosecutor, defense lawyer & triad judge. In addition to the commentary, the book incorporates helpful Checklists, Cautions, Warnings, Practice Tips, Techniques, Tactics, Forms & Strategies throughout the text, which are valuable to students & lawyers with little or no practical experience.