Outline of coverage

Book Info

The only required text is ROBINSON, BAUGHMAN & CAHILL, CRIMINAL LAW: CASE STUDIES AND CONTROVERSIES (5th ed. 2021) [the 4th edition is ok, too]. I will supplement it with other materials through Canvas.

Outline of Coverage

I. Introduction

II. The Nature of Criminal Law and its Analytic Structure

III. Background Doctrines/Defining Crimes

A. The Legality Principle

B. Theories of Punishment

IV. Proving Crimes and Failure of Proof Defenses

A. Culpability: States of Mind/Mens Rea

B. Homicide (How Complexity is Built in)

C. Causation

D. Inchoate (not successful or complete) Crimes

E. Doctrines of Imputation (missing elements filled in)

V. Affirmative Defenses

A. Justification

B. Excuses