Product Description

This book is designed to introduce readers to the fundamental nature of law, to give them an overview of general legal principles, and to help them develop a special understanding of the historical development of criminal law and its contemporary form and function in today's American society. Real stories and photographs of contemporary situations and issues bring the content to life, and Capstone Cases provide insights into the everyday workings of American jurisprudence and illustrate the logic by which appellate decisions are made. This volume provides complete coverage of the nature and history of criminal law, criminal liability and the essence of crime, the concept of crime, justifications as defenses, excuses as defenses, the defense of insanity, legal and social dimensions of homicide, assault, battery, and other personal crimes, property and computer crimes, offenses against public order and the administration of justice, offenses against public morality, victims and the law, and punishment and sentencing. For individuals interested in criminal law and its function in society.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12992 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 768 pages

From the Back Cover
This book provides an introduction to the fundamental nature of law, an overview of general legal principles, and a survey of the historical development of criminal law and its contemporary form and function in today's American society. It features real stories and photographs of contemporary situations and issues, and Capstone Cases that provide insights into the everyday workings of American jurisprudence and illustrate the logic by which appellate decisions are made. Illustrates the multiplicity of legal perspectives found at federal, state, and local levels. Shows the inevitable link between matters of the criminal law and contemporary social issues. Includes strong coverage of the defense of insanity and related issues, high-technology crimes and relevant laws, victims, and the laws supporting and protecting crime victims. For those interested in criminal law and procedure and the administration of justice.

About the Author

Frank Schmalleger, Ph.D., is Director of The Justice Research Association, a private consulting firm and "think tank" focusing on issues of law, crime, and justice. The Justice Research Association, which is based in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, serves the needs of the nation's civil and criminal justice planners, administrators, and educators through workshops, conferences, and grant-writing and program evaluation support. Its most significant project to date is the Criminal Justice Distance Learning Consortium (CJDLC). CJDLC can be found on the Web at http://www.cjcentral.com/cjdlc.

Dr. Schmalleger holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame and Ohio State University, having earned both a master's (1970) and doctorate (1974) from Ohio State University with a special emphasis in criminology. From 1976 to 1994, he taught criminal justice courses at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. For the last sixteen of those years, he chaired the university's Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice. He was named Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 2001. As an adjunct professor with Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, Schmalleger helped develop the university's graduate program in security administration and loss prevention. He taught courses in that curriculum for more than a decade. Schmalleger has also taught in the New School for Social Research's online graduate program, helping to build the world's first electronic classrooms in support of distance learning through computer telecommunications. An avid Web surfer, Schmalleger is also the creator of a number of award-winning World Wide Web sites, including one that supports this textbook http://www.prenhall.com/schmalleger.

Frank Schmalleger is the author of numerous articles and many books, including the widely used Criminal Justice Today (Prentice Hall, 2001); Criminology Today (Prentice Hall, 2002); Criminal Justice: A Brief Introduction (Prentice Hall, 2002); Crime and the Justice System in America: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997); Computers in Criminal Justice (Wyndham Hall Press, 1991); Career Paths: A Guide to jobs in Federal Law Enforcement (Regents/ Prentice Hall, 1994); Criminal Justice Ethics (Greenwood Press, 1991); Finding Criminal Justice in the Library (Wyndham Hall Press, 1991); Ethics in Criminal Justice (Wyndham Hall Press, 1990); A History of Corrections (Foundations Press of Notre Dame, 1983); and The Social Basis of Criminal Justice (University Press of America, 1'981). Schmalleger is also founding editor of the journal The Justice Professional.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

My purpose in writing this textbook has been to provide students with an appreciation for the fundamental nature of law, an overview of general legal principles, and a special understanding of the historical development of criminal law and its contemporary form and function in today's American society. Stories from real life, the critical placement of photographs illustrating cogent contemporary issues, and the use of end-of-chapter Capstone Cases are all meant to bring the law to life.

My approach has been strongly influenced by my belief that the law has always been, and remains, a vital policy-making tool. As a topic for study and discussion, the nature and life of the law is more important today than ever before. The challenges that face the law as it continues to adapt to the needs of a complex and rapidly changing society are highlighted in this text and serve to emphasize for readers the contemporary relevance of our ever-evolving American criminal law.

A central feature of this textbook can be found in its Capstone Cases, placed at the end of each chapter, which provide actual court opinions illustrating important themes in the law. Capstone Cases afford significant insights into the everyday workings of American jurisprudence, and they illustrate the logic by which appellate decisions are made. Law on the Books and Criminal Law in the News boxes, placed throughout the text, illustrate the multiplicity of legal perspectives found at federal, state, and local levels and make students aware of jurisdictional differences in the law. Marginal quotations, found alongside the text column throughout the book, serve to illustrate the inevitable link between matters of the criminal law and contemporary social issues.

Unlike most other criminal law textbooks, Criminal Law Today draws on the latest technology to facilitate learning. The World Wide Web site (http://www.prenhall.com/schmalleger) that supports Criminal Law Today provides a wealth of resources, activities, and ideas for both students and professors. Special end-of-chapter Legal Resources on the World Wide Web sections refer students to the Criminal Law Today home page, which is regularly updated, and to other important Criminal Law Resources on the Internet.

Finally, Criminal Law Today is the only criminal law textbook that I am aware of which is supported by a full-featured student study guide. The guide, written by noted attorney and educator Cliff Roberson of Washburn University, allows students to integrate the ideas presented in the text and facilitates the learning of what might otherwise be difficult concepts. The guide also provides a useful self-paced review and allows self-testing for students wishing to delve more deeply into the subject matter of this text.

Like any author, lost in the proverbial forest of words, it is sometimes difficult for me to get a clear view of how my books will be received. As the first edition of this book neared completion, however, I felt satisfied that I had achieved what I set out to do. That feeling came as I glanced over the observations of one reviewer who had painstakingly read through this book as it was under development. His final comment, after months of review, accompanied by well-placed suggestions, read as follows: "This textbook presents criminal law, which is as ancient as human society itself, in a fresh, modern format . . . one which will bring criminal law to life for students everywhere." That's just what I intended!

Frank Schmalleger
The Justice Research Association

---

Customer Reviews

VERY GOOD TEXTBOOK CAN BE USED AGAIN AND AGAIN!
This book is often used as the textbook for Criminal Law 101 offered at almost any two year school. It is full of good illustrations and easy to follow theories of undergraduate Criminal Justice Law. Best of all when the class is over you can easily unload this book for $30 to $40 dollars! This book is used in most if not all Florida Community Colleges as the textbook for the class Criminal Justice Law or CJL 1100 though some Florida Community Colleges may use a different edition. As Florida is a huge state the list of Florida Community Colleges is to long to list here.