Core Concepts In Criminal Law And Criminal Justice Volume 2

A comparative and collaborative study of the foundational principles and concepts that underpin different domestic systems of criminal law.

The trans-jurisdictional discourse on criminal justice is often hampered by mutual misunderstandings. The translation of legal concepts from English into other languages and vice versa is subject to ambiguity and potential error: the same term may assume different meanings in different legal contexts. More importantly, legal systems may choose differing theoretical or policy approaches to resolving the same issues, which sometimes – but not always – lead to similar outcomes. This book is the second volume of a series in which eminent scholars from German-speaking and Anglo-American jurisdictions work together on comparative essays that explore foundational concepts of criminal law and procedure. Each topic is illuminated from German and Anglo-American perspectives, and differences and similarities are analysed.

This author team had students in mind when they wrote the book on Criminal Law. Criminal Law: Core Concepts uses examples and case excerpts that are interesting and informative, along with logically organized, plain-English discussion of the Model Penal Code. This is the basis for developing a solid understanding of criminal law concepts. One look inside this book and you ll notice that every page promises unobstructed learning. You ll see an uncluttered page design, uncluttered coverage, writing uncluttered by legalese, and case excerpts uncluttered by extraneous detail Everything in this book serves a purpose. Criminal Law: Core Concepts features: A commitment to clarity, reflected in the writing style, organization, pedagogy, and design Shrewd case editing that hones in on salient themes and principles Engaging and informative examples throughout the text Plain English discussion of the Model Penal Code Timely coverage of contemporary topics, such as street crime

Attempts at trans-jurisdictional debate and agreement are often beset by mutual misunderstanding. Professionals and academics engaged in comparative criminal law sometimes use the same terms with different meanings or different terms which mean the same thing. Although English is the new lingua franca in international and comparative criminal law, there are many ambiguities and uncertainties with regard to foundational criminal law and criminal justice concepts. However, there exists greater similarities among diverse systems of criminal law and justice than is commonly realised. This book explores the foundational principles and concepts that underpin the different domestic systems. It focuses on the Germanic and several principal Anglo-American jurisdictions, which are employed as examples of the wider common law-civil law divide.

In the United States today criminal justice can vary from state to state, as various states alter the Modern Penal Code to suit their own local preferences and concerns. In Eastern Europe, the post-Communist countries are quickly adopting new criminal codes to reflect their specific national concerns as they gain autonomy from what was once a centralized Soviet policy. As commonalities among countries and states disintegrate, how are we to view the basic concepts of criminal law as a whole? Eminent legal scholar George Fletcher acknowledges that criminal law is becoming increasingly localized, with every country and state adopting their own conception of punishable behavior, determining their own definitions of offenses. Yet by taking a step back from the details and linguistic variations of the criminal codes, Fletcher is able to perceive an underlying unity among diverse systems of criminal justice. Challenging common assumptions, he discovers a unity that emerges not on the surface of statutory rules and case law but in the underlying debates that inform them. Basic Concepts of Criminal Law identifies a set of twelve distinctions that shape and guide the controversies that inevitably break out in every system of criminal justice. Devoting a chapter to each of these twelve concepts, Fletcher maps out what he considers to be the deep structure of all systems of criminal law. Understanding these distinctions will not only enable students to appreciate the universal fundamental ideas of criminal law, but will enable them to understand the significance of local details and variations. This accessible illustration of the unity of diverse systems of criminal justice will provoke and inform students and scholars of law and the philosophy of law, as well as lawyers seeking a better understanding of the law they practice.

Volume two of a comparative study of the concepts that underpin different domestic systems of criminal law and justice.

This book brings together leading scholars from the next generation of UK criminal lawyers to celebrate the work of GR Sullivan, Emeritus Professor at University College London, in the year of his retirement from writing Simester and Sullivan's Criminal Law: Theory and Doctrine. The contributors examine many of the areas in which GR (Bob) Sullivan's own writing has been influential, ranging from general doctrines such as causation and culpability, across specific offences like theft and fraud, through defences including necessity and insanity; before turning, finally, to matters affecting the criminal process, notably challenges to the doctrine of precedent in criminal law. Taken together, the essays are a powerful tribute to Bob's standing and influence upon modern criminal law. At the same time, individually they make sophisticated contributions to our understanding of some pressing issues in contemporary criminal law. The essays illustrate the increasing importance of theoretical argument in modern criminal law, as well as the manner in which doctrinal debates have become interwoven with arguments about criminalisation norms. The resulting collection is thus a tribute also to the character of modern academic criminal law, a character that Bob and the writers of his generation did so much to develop.

The Fourth Edition of CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN ACTION: THE CORE does, indeed, place you in the center of the action! You'll learn about the field's latest developments right out of today's news. You'll explore vivid real-life applications that clarify key criminal justice concepts. And you'll read about the many exciting new career opportunities that the field now offers. Every chapter in this book is a multimedia-linked study center, helping you to excel in the course.