Examples & Explanations for Criminal Law, 6th Edition

Criminal Law employs the unique, time-tested E&E pedagogy that combines text with comprehensive examples, explanations, and questions to test students’ comprehension while providing practice in applying the law to fact patterns. The questions (in which there are a variety of issues in one fact situation) are similar to those on a law school or bar examination.

Explanations include analysis of both prosecution and defense―valuable exam-writing help for students. Current, interesting, and accessible, the text often incorporates popular culture, humor, and well-known cases that have not made the appellate courts or even gone to litigation Graphs, charts and other visual aids clearly demonstrate legal standards and concepts. Criminal Law: Examples & Explanations is highly recommended by Atticus Falcon, author of Planet Law School, an orientation guide for students about to begin law school.

Updated to reflect recent developments in the news and case law, the Sixth Edition reviews “stand your ground” statutes, with discussion of the Trayvon Martin case. New challenges to and limitations of the “heat of passion” defense are assessed as well as its possible replacement by “loss of control” statutes. Many new Examples and Explanations relate to current issues: the duty of a football coach to report sexual abuse of a minor; police officers knowingly putting suspects in danger of being killed; bullying by soldiers causing suicide of a unit member in Afghanistan; the assassination attempt on President Obama by a drive-by shooter at the White House; date rape prosecution involving a victim claiming to be “too drunk” to consent; statutory rape liability of young adolescents engaging in consensual sex; larceny and theft of services issue; cyberbullying and homicide; motor vehicle homicide as a strict liability offense; and parental “discipline” gone awry, causing injury or death.

Hallmark features of Criminal Law: Examples & Explanations:

• unique, time-tested E&E pedagogy—

o combines textual with examples, explanations, and questions to test students’ comprehension and provide practice

o questions (in which there are a variety of issues in one fact situation) are similar to those on a law school or bar examination

• current—well-known cases that have not made the appellate courts or even gone to litigation

• explanations analyze both prosecution and defense—valuable exam-writing help

• interesting and accessible—often incorporates popular culture and humor

• highly recommended by Atticus Falcon, Planet Law School

• visual aids: graphs, charts and other illustrations

Thoroughly updated to reflect recent developments in the news and case law, the revised Sixth Edition presents:

• “stand your ground” statutes, with discussion of the Trayvon Martin case

• new challenges to and limitations of the “heat of passion” defense

• new Examples & Explanations

o duty of a football coach to report sexual abuse of a minor

o police officers knowingly putting suspects in danger of being killed

o bullying by soldiers causing suicide of unit member in Afghanistan

o attempted assassination of President Obama by a drive-by shooter at the White House

o date rape prosecution involving a victim claiming to be “too drunk” to consent

o statutory rape liability of young adolescents engaging in consensual sex

o larceny and theft of services issue

o cyberbullying and homicide

o motor vehicle homicide as a strict liability offense