Basic Criminal Law: The Constitution, Procedure, and Crimes, 5th edition

Published by Pearson (April 4, 2017) © 2018

  • Anniken Davenport Pennsylvania State University

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The text is rich with features that guide students through the history of criminal law, the crimes themselves, and specific legal procedures:

  • Crimes First, Procedure Second approach familiarizes students with laws, their histories and underlying theories, before proceeding to specific legal procedures, and engages students by providing compelling context for the concepts they are learning.

  • Streamlined, manageable coverage of criminal law at the beginning of the text gives students the sound theoretical base they need to apply legal procedures effectively.

  • Strong historical approach, appropriate for both four-year liberal arts degree programs and paralegal programs, helps students understand the context of today’s criminal law and the historical foundations of recent developments.

  • “Historical Highlights” throughout the book illustrate pivotal events in American legal history that remain influential today and continue to inform legal and public debate, providing students with a historical context and the legal cultural literacy necessary for legal professionals to succeed.

  • NEW! Insights from key cases feature excerpts from controversial criminal cases such as the Trayvon Martin shooting, the Duke Lacrosse Team Rape Accusation, and the O.J. Simpson criminal and civil trials to highlight key legal concepts and motivate students.

  • UPDATED! Evidence concept sections provide legal professionals with the most recent investigatory tools and show how prosecutors, police, paralegals, defense attorneys, and other criminal justice professionals can use rapidly changing technologies in court.

  • Examples illustrate each key learning concept, state statute examples show how individual states handle crimes, and charts and diagrams show key trends in the field.

  • NEW! Updated and revised information keeps students on top of the latest developments in the field.

    • UPDATED! A revised chapter on sex crimes reflects the changes to how society defines and punishes sex crimes.

    • UPDATED! A revised appeals section walks legal and criminal justice professionals through the appeals process, and includes the latest Supreme Court Rulings.

    • UPDATED! Current crime statistics and definitions keep students current on crime reporting requirements and key trends in the field.

Every chapter offers opportunities to develop the real-world skills that students will need when they enter the workforce:

  • UPDATED! Enhanced practical tips and strategies are included for attorneys and paralegals working in the field.

  • Hands-on case portfolio-building applications help students build portfolios that demonstrate their research and analysis skills to prospective employers and serve as a valuable personal reference guide as they begin their careers.

  • Practice Pointers highlight specific issues students will face in the workforce and prepare students for the realities of life working as a paralegal or in other criminal justice roles.

  • NEW! You Make the Cal

The text is rich with features that guide students through the history of criminal law, the crimes themselves, and specific legal procedures:

  • UPDATED! Evidence concept sections provide legal professionals with the most recent investigatory tools and show how prosecutors, police, paralegals, defense attorneys, and other criminal justice professionals can use rapidly changing technologies in court.

  • Updated and revised information keeps students on top of the latest developments in the field.

    • UPDATED! A revised chapter on sex crimes reflects the changes to how society defines and punishes sex crimes.

    • UPDATED! A revised appeals section walks legal and criminal justice professionals through the appeals process, and includes the latest Supreme Court Rulings.

    • UPDATED! Current crime statistics and definitions keep students current on crime reporting requirements and key trends in the field.

Every chapter offers opportunities to develop the real-world skills that students will need when they enter the workforce:

  • UPDATED! Enhanced practical tips and strategies are included for attorneys and paralegals working in the field.

  • You Make the Call sections stimulate classroom debate and provide practical, real world applications of criminal laws with controversial cases from recent current events, often using actual court documents.

Preface 

Acknowledgments 

About the Author 

1. What Is Criminal Law? 

2. What Is a Crime? 

3. Crimes Against the Person: Murder 

4. Crimes Against the Person: Sex Crimes 

5. Crimes Against the Person: Other Violent Crimes 

6. Crimes Against Property 

7. Social Crimes 

8. Treason, Terrorism, and Wartime Criminal Justice 

9. Crimes Against the State 

10. Common Law Defenses 

11. Constitutional Rights Before Arrest 

12. Constitutional Rights After Arrest 

13. The Constitutional Right to Trial by Jury 

14. Constitutional Rights Postconviction 

Appendix 

Endnotes 

Glossary 

Index

Anniken U. Davenport holds a JD from the Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University and has served as an assistant district attorney in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, where she handled numerous criminal jury and bench trials, as well as appellate work. In addition, she was a prosecutor for the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs at the Pennsylvania Department of State, where she worked with state and federal agencies on cases involving physician insurance fraud, drug and alcohol abuse, and misuse of DEA registration.

Ms. Davenport also holds an MA in Writing from Johns Hopkins University and serves as an adjunct instructor of legal subjects at Harrisburg Area Community College. She has taught at Penn State University and directed the Legal Studies Program at Wilson College, where she first developed Basic Criminal Law and first tested it in the classroom.

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