Criminal Law: Historical, Ethical, and Moral Foundations
, 3rd edition, blends legal and moral reasoning in the examination of crimes and explores the history relating to jurisprudence and roots of criminal law. In order to fully grasp criminal law concepts, students must go beyond mere rote memorization of the penal code and endeavor to understand where the laws originate from and how they have developed. This book fosters discussions of controversial issues and delivers abridged case law decisions that target the essence of appellate rulings.Grounded in the Model Penal Code, making the text national in scope, this volume examines:
The book also examines controversial public morality issues such as prostitution, drug legalization, obscenity, and pornography. The final two chapters discuss inchoate offenses, where the criminal act has not been completed, and various criminal defenses, such as legal insanity, entrapment, coercion, self-defense, and mistake of fact or law. Important keywords introduce each chapter, and discussion questions and suggested readings appear at the end of each chapter, prompting lively debate and further inquiry into a fascinating subject area that continues to evolve. Updated to include the latest developments in the law, this book is appropriate for undergraduate students in criminal law and related courses.