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Reviewed by Andre Adeli, Lecturer, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 7/24/19Comprehensiveness rating: 3Although it is difficult to be comprehensive in an introductory text, the author's attempts at introducing legal concepts through individual cases in my experience is not a good starting points.Accuracy rating: 2On one occasion the year cited on an important case from 1970 was cited as a 2010 case. Other references to well known criminal cases contained inaccuracies.Relevance/Longevity rating: 3Relevance and longevity could be improved by including more recent analysis of contemporary cases.
4th Amendment and 8th Amendment issues are already in need of updates.Clarity rating: 5More than 90% of the content is written in a succinct and clear manner. Moving around within each chapter is somewhat confusing, however.Consistency rating: 4Framework is consistent and terminology is accurate but often includes too many civil law references. Reviewed by Jennifer Dannels, Lead Instructor - Criminal Justice, NTCC on 4/23/19Comprehensiveness rating: 5This book is even more comprehensive than previous textbooks (non-OER) I've used in the past. I especially like how it covers the constitutional issues (freedom of speech, right to 'privacy' (birth control, abortion, etc.), ex post facto clause, due process challenges, etc.) in Chapter 3. I don't recall other textbooks giving this much attention to the U.S.
Constitution but it is extremely important. I believe my students are now better able to understand why some statutes are held unconstitutional by the courts. Too often, students (and the public at large) think that the legislature can just pass laws without ever giving thought to the fact that they may be in opposition to what our constitution allows.Additionally, I had read previous reviews that mentioned the lack of discussion about terrorism in this book. But I think it's covered sufficiently. While terrorism is definitely at the forefront of the news and our minds these days, the truth is that terrorism charges/convictions are still few compared to the other crimes in the U.S. And I think the textbook at least offers a good starting point for a discussion on terrorism - the instructor can easily find additional material about current day challenges to the PATRIOT Act and current news stories about recent terrorism acts and charges.Accuracy rating: 5I found very few (if any) errors in this textbook. I am a licensed attorney and have been so disappointed in the past with other textbooks with inaccurate information and just a plain misunderstanding of how the law works.
It is clear to me that the author of this textbook is an attorney - which is how it should be. Too often I find that Criminal Law textbooks are written by non-attorneys which makes little to no sense.
Sure, non-attorneys can write about Criminal Justice in general and certain specific topics, but I think the matter of law (especially constitutional and criminal law) should be left to those actually trained in the interpretation and practice of the law.Relevance/Longevity rating: 5This textbook does a great job of providing relevant and up-to-date court decisions and statutes. It is impossible to write a law textbook that will not need to be updated at some point because the law does change - it's just the nature of the beast. However, this text gives a great overview of the overarching Supreme Court decisions and underlying themes/policies that do not change very often. I also found that it was easy to insert my own state's statutes into my lectures. As a result, the students learned the general principles and majority views from this textbook - and then I showed them specifically what Louisiana requires. So when it comes to updating my course, I really just need to focus on my state's statutory changes.Clarity rating: 5My biggest compliment that I have for this textbook is that it is extremely clear and provides excellent real-life examples to demonstrate each concept/element.
I wish this textbook had been around back when I was in law school!! It would have been much easier to understand. I love how this textbook breaks every topic into clear and concise sections (with a clear bold heading to boot!) - and then the author just gets right in, explains the concept, gives an example, and then moves on.
No need to use fancy and excessive language when it is simply not needed.My only real complaint (if you can even call it that) is that some of the examples were a little far-fetched or maybe didn't illustrate a point perfectly, but it was easy enough to come up with my own examples to illustrate the point. And there really were only just a handful of examples that I did not like - the overwhelming majority of them were spot-on. These examples are crucial to put the law into context for students. Without them, it's just a bunch of concepts that the students can't always translate into the real world.Consistency rating: 5This book was consistent all the way through.Modularity rating: 5I really liked how the chapters are divided up into reasonable chunks with clear and bold headings. Each section was also relatively small (consisting of usually only a few paragraphs) which made for easy reading and comprehension.
I also appreciated how each section of the chapter ended with a summary, hypothetical scenarios, and real court cases that illustrate the points covered in the text. The end-of-the-chapter reviews were also great with additional questions/hypothetical scenarios for the students to ponder and to illustrate how the law translates into real-life cases.Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5The topics of this text are organized to perfection. I really have no complaints in this area. I followed the textbook in the order as it was written because I saw no reason to change it. The student really must have a good understanding of possible constitutional challenges and the basic elements of all crimes (criminal act, intent, attendant circumstances, etc) before you can really dive into each category of specific crimes.Interface rating: 5I did not notice any problems in this area, and heard no complaints from students either.Grammatical Errors rating: 5I did not notice any grammatical errors - and I greatly appreciated how the case and statutory citations were all correct!! Too often, I see other textbooks get that part wrong which is frustrating.
Again, probably because someone other than an attorney/paralegal wrote it - and legal citations are a completely separate beast than other forms of citations. So great job in this area!Cultural Relevance rating: 5I do not recall reading any portions of the texts (including examples) that were insensitive or offensive.
I think the author did a very nice job of remaining neutral and culturally appropriate.CommentsThis is an overall excellent textbook! I teach this course at a community college and I find that students are easily able to follow along and understand the content. Yet, it is not over-simplistic at all. It covers a large amount of material in an appropriate amount of time/space and gives real-life examples that help students connect the dots between the criminal statute and policies with actual criminal charges/trials/convictions.
I will be using this textbook for years to come. A huge shout-out to the author of this fabulous open textbook! Reviewed by Dave Coffey, Prof/Program Head Administration of Justice, Thomas Nelson Community College on 3/6/19Comprehensiveness rating: 5This is a good Criminal Law text for college undergraduates. The text covers most of the major areas of criminal law. The chapter orders are logically sequenced providing a building block approach for students. Material is presented clearly and concisely making it easy for students to understand. “End of Chapters” includes exercises, questions, case citations and links as well as websites and articles, all very good resources for students.Accuracy rating: 5The broad concepts covered in this book and the materials used to present them contains no inaccurate information or bias presentation.
Bearing in mind that legal texts and materials are always subject to interpretations and criticism.Relevance/Longevity rating: 5The core criminal law concepts as covered in this book and its chapters are long standing principles and generally have not dramatically changed over the past years. Criminal law changes slowly and therefore this book should be a good intro book for many years.
Additionally the text should be relatively easy to update in the modular format that it is written. There are a number of hyperlinks used throughout the book that need to be checked regularly for accuracy.Clarity rating: 5The book is very easy to follow and written in such a way as students of all levels should be able to read and understand the materials. The substantive materials are reinforced and supported by interesting examples and critical thinking exercises to assist students in their understanding of the subject. The book also provides many examples and visual aids to explain many of the concepts and terms used. I would say this book is very student friendly.Consistency rating: 5The book generally is consistent throughout as it relates to the layout of chapters, terminology, formatting and presentation of information.
Every chapter concludes with an End of Chapter section that has exercises with answers, case listings, summaries and links to websites. I think students will find these materials very useful. Chapters followed a consistent user friendly formatting that further aids student’s understanding.Modularity rating: 5The text is written in a logical, easy to follow, modular format that allows for easy reorganization and assignments for students. Each chapter is focused on specific learning objectives and materials that support the learning objective. Assignments can be tailored around the learning objectives. Each chapter is broken down and numbered into sub-components of the overall chapter subject.Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5The structure, organization and flow of the materials contained in the book are logical and follow in a manner that is conducive to learning. The textbook provides a basic introduction to Criminal Law to include the U.S.
Legal system; constitutional laws and protections; and traditional general elements of Criminal Law and specific crimes and defenses. This material is broken down into logical presentations and sections.Interface rating: 4I did not see any major problems with student textbook interface. However, I did have some problems with returning to the same spot in the textbook after clicking on some links. Most links worked fine but some seemed to be a little problematic and one was expired. It could have been my computer or me.Grammatical Errors rating: 5I did not notice any glaring grammatical errors. Overall the textbook appeared to be very well written.Cultural Relevance rating: 5The book appears to be culturally appropriate for the course and subject matter.
I did not find any culturally incentive or offensive material or examples in the book.CommentsI would certainly consider adopting this textbook for my Criminal Law course. It covers the major topics relative to Criminal Law and it does so in a manner that I think would be beneficial to our students. The textbook is equal to and in many ways, better than many of the leading textbooks for purchase that are on the market and in our bookstores today. Reviewed by Kelly Ayers, Clinical Instructor, West Virginia University on 5/21/18Comprehensiveness rating: 5The information covered in this text is general in nature, yet thorough enough to understand the foundations of the topic. Given that I would be using this text for undergraduate students, the amount of information and its depth seem to be on point. There are links that provide opportunities to explore the topic further if the student/instructor so desires.Accuracy rating: 5I am not a legal expert and cannot comment specifically to the accuracy; however, I do appreciate the long list of individuals provided that were identified as having reviewed the material prior to publication specifically for that purpose.Relevance/Longevity rating: 5Criminal law itself will be unchanging, but its interpretation will.
The author has included contemporary cases and other examples that provide the student with an understanding of the applications. It is made clear that there will be variations in different jurisdictions and that many of the examples are illustrative in nature.Clarity rating: 5Criminal Law is an easy read and any terms that would be unfamiliar to the undergraduate student is well defined and used in examples. The exercises throughout the text also offer methods of becoming familiar with the language.Consistency rating: 5Criminal law is written in a way that is easy to follow and each chapter is laid out in the same fashion which makes the material very easy to navigate.Modularity rating: 5The chapters are broken up into easy to read subunits and there are several references to other areas of the book if there is a reference that needs to be made. This format makes it easy for the student and instructor to connect material moving forward allowing this book to be more comprehensive.Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5The topics were laid out in a way that was easy to follow and permits the student to build on previous information as they read forward. The beginning lays out general information about criminal law and the legal system and then breaks down into more specific elements related to criminal law.Interface rating: 5All links throughout the book were active and images look clear. The text is laid out in an easy to read format for the computer screen.
The text and supplemental materials are extremely user friendly.Grammatical Errors rating: 5There were no grammatical errors noted throughout the text. The book is easy to follow and well written.Cultural Relevance rating: 5There was nothing that stood out as anything that may be offensive within the material or the examples. If there were references to cultural differences within examples, it is strictly due to relevance to the issue being discussed.CommentsI am excited that there is a simple, easy to read foundational text in criminal law that can be shared with my forensic students. These students may or may not choose law school, but there should be a holistic understanding of how their work fits into the legal system as they go on to play a critical role in the investigation and prosecution of criminal activity. Reviewed by B.A.B., Associate Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University on 2/1/18Comprehensiveness rating: 1I would say that this book attempts to cover a broad spectrum of criminal law topics, so in that sense it’s comprehensive, but in terms of the depth with which each topic is treated, it is far from comprehensive. The entire textbook actually reads more like a study guide or even a professor’s lecture notes or slides.
When I adopt a textbook, I want it to be comprehensive enough so that I can base my lectures on the chapter topic highlights; here it seems that the author does the opposite. Were I a student, I would think that reading this book would leave me with many more questions than answers. Maybe it’s a fundamental difference of paedagogy, but I don’t want to spend my classtime filling in all the lacunae left by the students’ textbook; rather, I want to spend that classtime expanding on what was presented in the textbook. To me, those are fundamentally different aims.A discussion on “justice” (whatever that means!) is conspicuously absent from this book. This is a substantively different discussion than “purposes of punishment.” There is also, as far as I can tell, no discussion of how to read a case citation. That’s so important! Because citations tell you so much important information about a case!
I’m surprised, because this is sort of a standard sub-topic in a criminal law class, especially when students are asked to brief cases.The “purposes of punishment” section is but one of many sections that has been glossed over. There should probably be a section comparing retributive and utilitarian schools of thought (actually, I see nothing referring to “utilitarianism” now that I think of it) and giving concrete examples of these differing philosophies in action.Generally speaking, I think it would be helpful to have examples from case law throughout the book to illustrate how concepts apply. Case law is rich with great examples, which are conspicuously absent.Accuracy rating: 3Some of the topics warrant more in-depth treatment. Reviewed by Anne Douds, Lecturer, Penn State Harrisburg on 2/1/18Comprehensiveness rating: 3This introductory criminal law text covers almost all major areas of criminal law, but it would be nice if it covered the evolving fields of terrorism and cyber security a bit better. The table of contents is concise and provides useful navigation. The lesson content is a bit brief and simplistic, but it is suitable for an undergraduate introduction to criminal law class.Accuracy rating: 4The book uses neutral language, but the undertone of the content leans towards a civil rights/civil libertarian perspective.Relevance/Longevity rating: 4Fortunately, criminal law evolves slowly, so this text should have good longevity. It does not cover much criminal procedure, but the portions of it that deal with procedure could become dated in the event of a major, reformative Supreme Court opinion (which is true of all criminal procedure texts).Clarity rating: 4Clarity is good.
The book uses short, concise sentences. The format makes it easy to follow.Consistency rating: 4The formatting and content are consistent. The degree of difficulty of the content remains at the same level throughout the work.Modularity rating: 5It is divided into logical, easy-to-follow modules.Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5The book has natural flow and is organized in a very appropriate fashion.Interface rating: 4So far as I can tell, the interface is fine.Grammatical Errors rating: 5I did not catch any errors.Cultural Relevance rating: 4The book stays within the middle of the political spectrum, with a slight tendency towards libertarian views.Comments. Reviewed by Tracy Barley, Assistant Professor, North Carolina Central University on 2/1/18Comprehensiveness rating: 5This textbook is comprehensive; it is substantially equivalent in content to the published textbook (including its updates) our department has used for the last 10 years. It covers the key concepts that will meet our student learning outcomes. I particularly like the End of Chapter material, the Key Takeaway boxes and the Exercises and the inclusion, with links, to supplemental material.I would like to have included a section on White Collar Crimes; we teach this section and incorporate material on bias, implicit bias, sentencing disparities and investigations.Also it would be important to include Cyber Crimes; however, this could be added if the book can be remixed.Accuracy rating: 4The content is accurate based on a random sampling of the material; the links to supplemental worked and that content was unbiased. Reviewed by Stephone Addison, Assistant Professor, Southern University And A & M College on 6/20/17Comprehensiveness rating: 4The text is comprehensive.
I have been teaching Criminal Law for over 20 years and have used several textbooks. This Open Source text covers, for the most part, every major subject in Criminal Law that was covered in prior textbooks that I have used in the past.
Although the book appear to lack a traditional index and glossary separate in the book, there are lots of information, links to other websites, etc to provide plenty of information regarding key terms and concepts.Accuracy rating: 4The content in this textbook appears to be accurate. It provides many references (i.e., Books, Cases, Articles, Websites, etc.) many of which are used in most private industry textbooks of its kind.Relevance/Longevity rating: 4The Content in this text is taken primarily from 2012. Since it is now 2017, it is probably due for an update. However, it was noted that University of Minnesota Library edited this material in 2015.
Notwithstanding, a lot of the material used is still relevant for understanding Criminal Law concepts. The good thing here is that it appears to be a relatively easy process to update information which can make for an easy transition from old to new and thereby strengthening the longevity of the overall text.Clarity rating: 5The book is written in plain language that allows for clarity of information. It is relatively concise, straight forward and appears to be very user friendly for undergraduate students. Also, the book provides many examples and figures (visual aids and illustrations) that further explains many of the terms (technical and otherwise) for better understanding.Consistency rating: 5The text is, for the most part, consistent throughout in terms of the order or layout from chapter to chapter.
Each chapter is consistent in its presentation (i.e., key areas of discussion subtitled under each chapter, objectives are provided for each subtitles and key concepts relevant to each subtitle). Also, diagrams, charts & figures are consistent in each chapter as well as scenarios, Key takeaways and exercises are provided at the end of each chapter. One caveat however is that the terms in blue are not always consistent in that some are links to other information and some of the terms are just written in blue.Modularity rating: 5Again, the book is arranged in a modular format via chapter and sections. Each chapter are broken down into sections which include relevant terms and concepts that directs back to the chapter. These sections allow the reader to keep learning and comprehension focused without running the risk of losing the chapter’s objectives.
The text places the table of contents in the area prior to downloading the textbook. Probably would have been best at the beginning which would help with even better navigation. Nonetheless, the sections within each chapter still provides enough navigation within the chapters sufficient to maintain a reasonable flow of information.Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5This book displays good organization, structure and flow. The organization of the chapters pursuant to various criminal law subjects are relatively consistent with other texts that I have used in the past. The table of contents could have been better placed at the top of chapter 1, but not a deal breaker as for as organization is concerned. The structure is good, particularly, the alignment of the chapters with the charts, graphs, illustrations, videos, etc. Finally, the chapters provide a favorable flow from one area of criminal law to the next.
Each chapter conclude with an “End-of-Chapter Material.”Interface rating: 4I didn’t see any major problems with how the textbook interfaced with the reader. In some spots, I was not able to get back right away to original page after clicking on some of the illustrations.
I had to go totally out of the page and back to downloads to get back into the text. Could be an issue with my computer, just not sure. Also, some links didn’t work and needed to be updated. However, a lot of the links did work.Grammatical Errors rating: 5I didn’t really encounter any substantial amount of grammatical errors. Free download adidas 316l watch manual programs to download without. Again, some of the links perhaps need to be updated and/or refreshed.Cultural Relevance rating: 5I didn’t detect any problems here.
Appeared to contain common issues relative to Criminal Law and Criminal Justice that may create some controversial discussion, but nothing appearing to be unbiased, culturally or otherwise.CommentsI thought this textbook would be one I could be comfortable with adopting for my class. It contains the major topics, relative to Criminal Law, that are consistent with the topics in many of the leading textbooks for purchase and that I have used before. In conclusion, this book appears to be a good textbook overall based on the above reasons provided in the review above) and one that I may consider recommending to others.
Reviewed by Makeda Carr, Instructor, Virginia State University on 6/20/17Comprehensiveness rating: 5Reviewing the TOC provides a comprehensive overview of the subject matter found in typical Criminal Law textbooks. In comparison to another book, they cover the same material such as sources and limitations of law, jurisdiction and defining elements of a crime.Accuracy rating: 5This text utilizes reliable sourced information that are accessible in the text to check for accuracy. I believe the book is presented in a neutral manner and is unbiased.Relevance/Longevity rating: 5The information has a mixed of old and new content indicative of various criminal law books. Different types of dated content are necessary to understand application of law and diverse decisions by judicial bodies.Clarity rating: 5Clarity in this text comes from the chunked structure, followed by practical examples and exercises.Consistency rating: 5Yes. This book is consistent with the learning objectives, content and exercises to match objectives.
The consistency should be helpful for those needing to be in compliance with Bloom's Taxonomy.Modularity rating: 5This book is complied nicely. Instead of reading a very long page of information online, the sections were divided by subject matter and thoroughly covered content in a succinctly.Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5A gradual intensity in content organization flowed well comparable to other texts.Interface rating: 5Structurally, the text was easy to navigate and read. The charts and images were not distorted or distracting.Grammatical Errors rating: 5I did not identify any grammatical errors.Cultural Relevance rating: 4I did not get a sense that the book was culturally insensitive.
The focus of the text was an introduction to the topic of criminal law and is neutral in its presentation of cases and facts.CommentsI appreciate the unnamed author taking their time to write such a comprehensive text. Reviewed by Christina Mancini, Associate Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University on 4/11/17Comprehensiveness rating: 5The text appears comprehensive but the lack of a Table of Contents page makes it difficult to assess at first glance the scope of the work.Accuracy rating: 5It appeared very well researched.Relevance/Longevity rating: 5It is written in a way that it could be easily updated by adding relevant cases (e.g., the text mentions a celebrated case of Casey Anthony to illustrate circumstantial and direct evidence.
Reviewed by Shana Mell, Criminal Justice Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University on 2/8/17Comprehensiveness rating: 5Criminal law textbooks require a number of specific topics in order to meet the expectations of the course. This textbook contains those essential elements. The table of contents very clearly outlines each chapters and subsection so that students/instructors are able to identify each content area. An appendix contains a listing of relevant cited case citations for further review. There does not appear to be a glossary or index apart from the appendix but each chapter concludes with an 'End of Chapter' section that lists answers to exercises, questions, case listings, summaries, and links to applicable cases, articles, and websites.Accuracy rating: 5I found no evidence of inaccurate information or bias presented within this text.Relevance/Longevity rating: 5This text follows the standard format that most criminal law texts adopt. Each subsection within the 14 chapters can be easily updated with seminal cases that may emerge.
Most of the content within this text will remain intact but the format allows for efficient updates, as necessary. The author utilizes examples that will be of interest for a number of years.Clarity rating: 5This is where a number of criminal law/procedure texts fall short. This was one of the text's key strengths. This text was extremely accessible to students of all levels. It contained excellent examples and explanations that illustrated each of the main concepts. I especially enjoyed the author's writing style. I found the prose both well-written and conversational, which contributes to the strength of this text.
The presentation of the material throughout each chapter was complemented by interesting examples and critical thinking exercises that encourage application of the material.Consistency rating: 5This text followed a consistent framework throughout. Each chapter was laid out in the established format containing each of the content areas.
The material was presented with applicable exercises and questions throughout. Each chapter concludes with an 'End of Chapter' section that lists answers to exercises, questions, case listings, summaries, and links to applicable cases, articles, and websites. I found the summaries and exercises especially useful. Key words are italicized for emphasis and quick reference. The chapters were easy to follow as they contained a number of subheadings to keep the material organized. Further, each chapter is made up of specific learning objectives that conclude with exercises and reference material.Modularity rating: 5Each chapter is made up of specific learning objectives that can be easily assigned based on content areas within the course. These objectives are fairly brief and contain exercises and reference material at the conclusion.
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I found this approach to be a key strength of this text since it offers a framework for assignment creation and discussion of key points within each chapter. When you look at how many learning objectives are actually contained within the entire text, there are hundreds of links to websites with reference material and exercises that students can complete independently or as part of a classroom discussion.Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5This text followed a consistent framework throughout. Each chapter was laid out in the established format containing each of the content areas. The material was presented with applicable exercises and questions throughout. Each chapter concludes with an 'End of Chapter' section that lists answers to exercises, questions, case listings, summaries, and links to applicable cases, articles, and websites.
I found the summaries and exercises especially useful. I also enjoyed the pictures, graphics, and illustrations used to develop the material.
Each objective contains an interesting component entitled 'key takeaways' that lists a sentence or two describing the main points to recall.Interface rating: 5I checked a number of the links within the text and they all worked for me. I also used the table of contents to navigate through the text and was able to get to each section very easily. The table of contents and home buttons appear on the upper right corner and allow the reader to quickly locate the area that they need. The table of contents lists each chapter and unit by number and title (topic) for ease of use.Grammatical Errors rating: 5I do not recall noticing any grammatical errors. This is exceptionally important since a textbook and author lose credibility when there are a number of grammatical issues.Cultural Relevance rating: 5I found no culturally insensitive or offensive examples presented within this text.CommentsI would certainly adopt this text.
I found it as sufficient as any other criminal law text offered for purchase. In some areas (noted above as key strengths), it is superior to texts that I have read/used. I enjoyed reading through this text and plan to adopt it if/when I teach this course in the future. Reviewed by Caoimhin OFearghail, Program Coordinator, Lane Community College on 8/21/16Comprehensiveness rating: 4This text covers all of the basic concepts found in other traditional criminal law survey texts with the exception of an instructional overview on reading and interpreting case reports—a significant shortcoming given the author’s heavy use of external links to such reports. Though the text lacks both an index and a glossary, these are unnecessary in a searchable electronic document. A table of contents is likewise unnecessary in a PDF in which bookmarks have been added to navigate the contents of the text. Such is the case here; however the text, by default, should open with the bookmarks displayed.
The lack of these traditional elements would only be inconvenient for the undoubtedly small percentage of students who prefer to print the whole book.Accuracy rating: 5Bearing in mind that the purpose of the text is to provide a broad overview of the subject for undergraduate students, the key concepts and summaries are accurate.Relevance/Longevity rating: 4Periodic updates will be necessary due to developments in both statutory and case law. The extensive use of links to external sites might pose a problem should the site addresses change.Clarity rating: 5The author’s vocabulary is appropriate to an undergraduate audience, and the author’s liberal use of simple sentences results in a very clear and accessible writing style. New terms are clearly introduced to the reader and subsequently integrated into the text; however, the author identifies these new terms inconsistently (see Consistency below).Consistency rating: 4The text is consistent in terms of both its visual and stylistic presentation, but less so in its introduction of key terms, which the author introduces or uses in italics, bold, and blue with no discernible purpose. The blue font, though more eye-catching, is confusing at times because it is also used extensively throughout the text for hyperlinks. To compound the confusion, the author chose not to underline these links.Modularity rating: 5The text is obviously designed as an integrated whole but could, with little effort, be rearranged to suit criminal law surveys of varied lengths or to suit an instructor’s specific approach. The chapters and sections also lend themselves for use as selected readings.Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4The author has organized the text in a manner that will be familiar anyone who has every used a survey text in substantive criminal law.
The first half (comprising eight chapters) covers the “general part” of criminal law, providing an overview of the historical, theoretical and functional context of criminal law in the United States; its structure; its constitutional limitations; and its attendant concepts of criminal defenses, liability, complicity, and inchoate crimes. The second half (comprising the remaining five chapters), covers the “special part” of the criminal law—an overview of the most common criminal offenses arranged by type or family: criminal homicide, sex offenses and crimes involving force or fear, crimes against property, public order crimes, and crimes against the government. The sequential progression of this content is appropriate and the amount of space given to each topic is balanced for the most part though the author spends more time explaining the legal system than the traditional criminal law survey text.Interface rating: 2The author has included a significant number of graphic embellishments (to set off ancillary material from the body of the text) and graphic aids. Neither add much to the text and both are stylistically problematic—making too much use of unnecessary colors and graphic effects as well as contributing to a number of odd page breaks throughout the text. Some of the graphic aids are too complicated.
Others employ an inappropriate graphic layout for the information being presented. For instance, on pages 46-48, the author uses three hierarchical charts to depict the nation’s tripartite system of government. What each chart actually depicts, however, is the bifurcated nature of the nation’s federal and state governments. As a result, the chart on page 47 seems to suggest that both the federal and state governments fall under a larger “executive.” Overall, the text would be better served by a more sparing use of graphic aids and embellishments. Some of the information might be better presented/summarized in a simple table format.
The remaining charts would be more appealing and easier to comprehend if they were re-done in simple, black and white, line art. Reviewed by Ann Su, Part-time Instructor, Portland Community College on 1/7/16Comprehensiveness rating: 3This is an excellent introductory text for undergraduates.The textbook does a good job of introducing the basic legal concepts of criminal law, but it would not be appropriate for a law school course as it does not have the depth or technical.
However, there is not a table of contents, index or glossary incorporated into the body of the text. This makes it rather difficult to navigate from section to section without having to scroll up and down unnecessarily through text to find things.Accuracy rating: 5The book has an accurate presentation of general information given that the book is not meant to be a treatise in law school.Relevance/Longevity rating: 4Most of the content is up-to-date and will not be obsolete quickly. However, there are external links that may expire and that may require vigilance by the instructor in ensuring the currency of the link.
Updates should be relatively easy as the text is written in a modular way.Clarity rating: 5The book is written in a concise way that is extremely 'user friendly' with accessible prose. The jargon/technical terminology is very approachable with good examples that are concrete and relatable to an undergraduate student. The usage of visual aids and formatting techniques to emphasize different concepts further aids the reader's understanding.Consistency rating: 5The text is internally consistent in style, terminology, formatting and presentation of information.Modularity rating: 4The text is written in a modular way that would be easy to reorganize without any disruption to the reader. If left in its current form, the text would benefit from subheadings that are numbered into even more specific subsets with indentations. 1.1(a)(ii) rather than 1.1.
This would aid the reader in tracking concepts/linking of concepts substantively and organizationally.Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5The organization, structure and flow of the material is one of the greatest strengths of the book. It has a natural sequence that is appealing and logical.Interface rating: 2This is the most challenging aspect of the text because of the lack of the table of contexts/index and glossary, navigation is a serious issue if not read sequentially. Images and charts are often distorted and the text is not always formatted in the most readable style-the consistent spacing of text is monotonous to the eye. Varying the paragraph and sentence spacing as well as ensuring page breaks and headings are logically placed is essential and missing in the text.Grammatical Errors rating: 5The grammar is fine with no noticeable errors.Cultural Relevance rating: 4The text is culturally appropriate.Comments. Reviewed by Matthew Kane, Adjunct Professor, University of Oklahoma on 1/12/15Comprehensiveness rating: 3The author’s work itself is very strong. The book is topically sound, covering the appropriate subjects for an introduction to criminal law.
Unfortunately, there is no index or glossary (or table of contents within the text). This concern, along with other issues I have with the text, are issues that should be resolved through the editing process. Unfortunately, these two components are covered in the same evaluation - comprehensiveness - resulting in a mediocre rating when the review would be better served to have highest marks for coverage and lowest marks for index/glossary/etc.Accuracy rating: 5Legal texts, by nature, are always subject to criticism/dissection of particular case analysis, etc. However, this book deals with broad concepts appropriately.Relevance/Longevity rating: 4Criminal law is always evolving.
However, the core concepts provided in this text have and should continue to stand the test of time. My only concern would be with the number of hyperlinks utilized throughout the book (which intentionally utilizes links over the inclusion of extensive case excerpts), as even the most “stable” of sites occasionally change resulting in an inability to easily access referenced information. If adopting the text, I would consider saving all hyperlinked materials to a location over which the professor has control, thereby ensuring students would have access for the duration of the course.Clarity rating: 5The book’s clarity is one of its strongest features.
The author does an excellent job of writing in understandable language with careful discussion and explanation of key technical terms.Consistency rating: 5The book is consistent in its approach, terminology and depth of treatment of the covered topics.Modularity rating: 4The book is arranged by chapter and then section – i.e., Chapter 9 is comprised of Sections 9.1 (Homicide), 9.2 (Murder), 9.3 (First-Degree Murder), 9.4 (Felony Murder), 9.5 (Second Degree Murder), 9.6 (Manslaughter), 9.7 (End-of-Chapter Material). The logical use of such section numbers allows for shorter assignment of readings. Again, I would note that the book would benefit significantly from the inclusion of a detailed table of contents to allow the professor and/or student to more easily appreciate the organization and potential for reorganization or sub-chapter assignments.Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5The book provides a basic introduction of criminal law, the US legal system and its constitutional protections before delving into traditional areas of coverage in a criminal law text – general elements of and defenses to a crime and specific offenses. As discussed in the previous response, the chapters are broken down into logical sections.Interface rating: 2The book’s interface is one of its most disappointing features. Page breaks are often in the wrong place, fonts and spacing are inconsistent and many of the charts and illustrations are fuzzy and difficult to read.Grammatical Errors rating: 5I noticed several very minor grammatical issues but overall it was very well written.Cultural Relevance rating: 5The cultural relevance is appropriate for the course.CommentsAs a result of the 'star' ratings system, this review may appear to be very positive.
Indeed, the author should be applauded for creating a very strong manuscript appropriate for undergraduate students (and law students seeking to supplement their understanding of criminal law issues). Unfortunately, the text, as currently available, is extremely difficult to fully utilize given the lack of table of contents, index and glossary and the obvious need for a final polish to correct page breaks, font inconsistencies, and blurry charts. A professor interested in adopting this book should anticipate devoting significant time to revising and editing for use in his or her course - work which could ultimately be broadly disseminated pursuant to the creative commons licensing. Absent such efforts, students would immediately appreciate the difference in this open textbook and a traditional one, likely to their detriment. Reviewed by Ronald Den Otter, Associate Professor, California Polytechnic State University on 7/15/14Comprehensiveness rating: 5For a text aimed at undergraduates, very comprehensive; it covers all of the topics in criminal law that ought to be covered.Accuracy rating: 4Here and there, one could quibble with descriptions of the legal rules and concepts or w/ the description of cases but all-in-all, it's accurate.Relevance/Longevity rating: 5Definitely not out-of-date. The book provides plenty of contemporary examples and refers to new cases. Of course, at some point in the future, a new edition would be appropriate.Clarity rating: 5Probably its best feature.
Extremely easy to follow. I also liked the flow charts.Consistency rating: 5No problems at all. In fact, good transitions from one topic to the next and the book (and each chapter) were well-organized.Modularity rating: 5Please see comment above. Again, I thought that it was easy to read.
There were not large pieces of text that were hard to swallow.Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5I thought that the orgzanization made sense. Some topics ought to be introduced before others. The introduction did a good job of setting up the rest of the book.Interface rating: 5No problems at all.Grammatical Errors rating: 5Extremely well-written.Cultural Relevance rating: 5Again, absolutely no problems here.CommentsIt's hard to write a textbook about any legal topic that would be appropriate for undergraduates. From my experience, most existing textbooks are either too detailed (for law students) or too simplistic (almost as if thety're written for high school students).
Free Criminal Law Studies Online
This book strikes the right balance. It's as good as any other text on criminal law that I've encountered so far. Table of Contents.Chapter 1: Introduction to Criminal Law.Chapter 2: The Legal System in the United States.Chapter 3: Constitutional Protections.Chapter 4: The Elements of a Crime.Chapter 5: Criminal Defenses, Part 1.Chapter 6: Criminal Defenses, Part 2.Chapter 7: Parties to Crime.Chapter 8: Inchoate Offenses.Chapter 9: Criminal Homicide.Chapter 10: Sex Offenses and Crimes Involving Force, Fear, and Physical Restraint.Chapter 11: Crimes against Property.Chapter 12: Crimes against the Public.Chapter 13: Crimes against the Government.Chapter 14: Appendix A: Case Listings. About the BookCriminal Law uses a two-step process to augment learning, called the applied approach. First, after building a strong foundation from scratch, Criminal Law introduces you to crimes and defenses that have been broken down into separate components. It is so much easier to memorize and comprehend the subject matter when it is simplified this way. However, becoming proficient in the law takes more than just memorization.
You must be trained to take the laws you have studied and apply them to various fact patterns. Most students are expected to do this automatically, but application must be seen, experienced, and practiced before it comes naturally. Thus the second step of the applied approach is reviewing examples of the application of law to facts after dissecting and analyzing each legal concept. Some of the examples come from cases, and some are purely fictional. All the examples are memorable, even quirky, so they will stick in your mind and be available when you need them the most (like during an exam). After a few chapters, you will notice that you no longer obsess over an explanation that doesn't completely make sense the first time you read it—you will just skip to the example.
Criminal Case Studies
The examples clarify the principles for you, lightening the workload significantly.