American Criminal Law

<p>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. </p><p>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. </p> <p>Chronological Table of Principal Cases; Preface; <i>Part I. Liability Principles; </i>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; <i>Part II. General Defenses; </i>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; <i>Part III. Specific Offenses; </i>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: <i>Fanny Hill</i>, 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; <i>Part IV. Supplemental Issues; </i>Ch. 30 Jurisdiction: The Aaron Burr-Alexander Hamilton Duel; Ch. 31 Extradition & Rendition: The Hatfields and McCoys Feud; Ch. 32 Patterns and Themes</p>