Full Description
This coursebook offers an exciting new approach to teaching criminal law to graduate and undergraduate students, and indeed to the general public. Each well-organized and student-friendly chapter offers historical context, tells the story of a principal historic case, provides a modern case that contrasts with the historic, explains the legal issue at the heart of both cases, includes a unique mapping feature describing the range of positions on the issue among the states today, examines a key policy question on the topic, and provides an aftermath that reports the final chapter to the historic and modern case stories.
By embedding sophisticated legal doctrine and analysis in real-world storytelling, the book provides a uniquely effective approach to teaching American criminal law in programs on criminal justice, political science, public policy, history, philosophy, and a range of other fields.
Contents
Chronological Table of Principal Cases; Preface; Part I. Liability Principles; Ch. 1 Legality: Hitler's Warmaking; Ch. 2 Punishment Theory: The Prince of Pickpockets; Ch. 3 Culpability: Homer Simpson's Felony Murder; Ch. 4 Homicide Provocation: A Webster Murder at Harvard; Ch. 5 Causation: The Grand Wizard Causes a Suicide; Ch. 6 Consent: Marquis De Sade's Sadomasochism; Ch. 7 Attempt: From Child Rape to Cannibal Cop; Ch. 8 Complicity: The Haymarket Riots; Ch. 9 Conspiracy: Lincoln's Non-Assassins; Ch. 10 Omissions: The Richest Woman in America Neglects Her Son; Part II. General Defenses; Ch. 11 Lesser Evils: Cannibalism at Sea; Ch. 12 Self-Defense: Slave Celia Defends Against Rape; Ch. 13 Law Enforcement Authority: Gunfight at the OK Corral; Ch. 14 Insanity: The Assassination of President Garfield; Ch. 15 Immaturity: Billy the Kid's First Killing; Ch. 16 Statute of Limitation: Hunting Nazi War Criminals; Ch. 17 Entrapment: Mary Queen of Scots Plots an Overthrow; Part III. Specific Offenses; Ch. 18 Endangerment: Causing the Johnstown Flood; Ch. 19 Extortion: Blackmailing Elvis Presley; Ch. 20 Domestic Violence: Ike & Tina Turner: What's Love Got to Do with It?; Ch. 21 Harassment: Wooing Bette Davis; Ch. 22 Statutory Rape: Oscar Wilde's Sodomy; Ch. 23 Adultery: Frank Sinatra and a Changing Morality; Ch. 24 Obscenity: Fanny Hill, the Most Prosecuted Book in History; Ch. 25 Child Pornography: Lewis Carroll Photographs Alice in Wonderland; Ch. 26 Deceptive Business Practices: Collier's Great American Fraud; Ch. 27 Rigging Sporting Events: The Dean of Race Fixing; Ch. 28 Anti-Competition: Vanderbilt's Market Manipulation; Ch. 29 RICO: Joe Bananas Builds a Criminal Empire; Part IV. Supplemental Issues; Ch. 30 Jurisdiction: The Aaron Burr-Alexander Hamilton Duel; Ch. 31 Extradition & Rendition: The Hatfields and McCoys Feud; Ch. 32 Patterns and Themes
