Product Description

This popular casebook, through the selection of classic and modern cases, provides an excellent tool for teaching students the common law foundations of the criminal law and modern statutory reform, including the Model Penal Code. Along the way, the casebook considers modern controversies (e.g., "shaming" punishment, rape law, self-defense by battered women, euthanasia, the role of culture in determining culpability), and creatively uses literature (e.g., examining insanity through Edgar Allen Poe's The-Tell Tale Heart) and even "brain teasers" to confront (as the Preface states) "the Big Questions . . . that philosophers, theologians, scientists, and poets, as well as lawyers, have grappled with for centuries

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2596 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-01
• Released on: 2007-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1044 pages

About the Author
McGeorge School of Law

Customer Reviews

Not one of my favorite law books
Of all the case books that I have used thus far in my law school career, this book by far is the worst. While some of the cases are interesting, Dressler fails many times to give adequate explantions of many of the topics covered. Dressler does a much more impressive job of conveying the topic in his book "Understanding Criminal Law".

This criminal law casebook is straight-forward but lacking.
Dressler's casebook covers each topic of criminal law methodically. His organization of the material is satisfactory, but many of the topics do not include enough specific cases that include modern statutes. I found some of the cases cited to be the exception rather than the rule. Overall, it is easy to read, and many of the cases are interesting. However, I do suggest referring to a hornbook.

Do support Dressler's income by buying his supplements
Do yourself a favor...if you are assigned this textbook go ahead and buy the Black Letter Outline series by Dressler even if you don't use it until closer to finals. It gives you what you need to know and simplifies things so that you don't have to search round and round for it in the textbook. It's unfortunate Dressler feels the need to sell his supplements and as a result has to make his textbook so crappy. And yes, it really IS that bad.