Inside Criminal Law What Matters and Why

This clear and concise paperback offers easily understood explanations that demystify the key topics in criminal law without oversimplifying them. Inside Criminal Law: What Matters and Why, Second Edition, engages students by explaining the essential topics so that they understand not only the law, but also what makes it interesting and important.

Accessible and extremely student-friendly, this paperback helps students:

• Solidify their understanding of the crucial aspects of the course without attempting to distill every topic down to outline form or simple rules.
• Become more engaged in the material and gain a deeper understanding of class discussions and readings by offering clear explanations and straightening out misconceptions.
• Strengthen their grasp of the material through the use of numerous effective learning aids:
• Overview: Each chapter starts with a brief introduction that positions the topic within the course, so that from the beginning students understand both what the topic is about and why it matters.
• Key Terms: Essential terminology is highlighted and defined at first use so that students can test their understanding.
• FAQs: Students’ frequently asked questions are spelled out and given straightforward answers to clear up the most common mistakes and misconceptions.
• Sidebars: These boxes serve a variety of purposes, as each author chooses: explain terminology, offer additional insights, provide study tips or practice pointers, etc.
• Graphics: Charts, photos, cartoons, and other visual material illustrate concepts, replicating the use of visual aids employed by effective law teachers in the classroom.
• Connections: Each chapter ends with a brief section that connects the material to other chapters, encouraging students to consider “Where have I been?” and “Where am I going?”

New to the Second Edition:

• Supreme Court Jurisprudence: Updated discussion of interesting and important new Supreme Court decisions relating to the proof and defense of criminal cases.
• Death Penalty: Revamped coverage of the justifications for imposing capital punishment, including newly-decided constitutional limitations on its imposition.
• Charts and Tables: Updated and new charts, tables, statutes, sidebars, and examples in a number of different chapters.
• Involuntary Act: Expanded discussion of different approaches taken by some jurisdictions to the nature of the involuntary act defense.