Jumpstart Criminal Law: Reading and Understanding Criminal Law Cases and Statutes

Features:

• explores the context in which criminal statutes are drafted and enacted and in which criminal trials and appeals take place
  • the relationship between state and federal criminal prosecutions and trials
  • the difference between criminal offenses and defenses in different jurisdictions
  • the steps in the criminal justice process
  • the separate roles of judge and jury in criminal cases
  • element analysis in criminal cases and with criminal statutes
  • the nature of various types of criminal law defenses
  • criminal defense ethics
  • how, when, and why conduct is criminalized
  • the role of mens rea and actus reus in criminal law
• legal reasoning and criminal justice process taught via judicial opinions with analysis
• judicial opinions and analyses comprehensible without in-class explanation
• straightforward and informal writing style
• pedagogical features
  • glossary of terms, idioms, and procedures encountered in reading cases
  • line art: artist-drawn cartoons illustrate many judicial opinions
  • judicial opinions: short and easy to read, applying common rules of law
  • exam prep help
    • examples of issue-spotting, essay, and multiple-choice questions
    • tips on how to carefully read criminal law exam questions