Main Content

Content from the following sources has been used in the creation of this casebook:

    • 1: Why Punish? original
    • 1.1: What is Common Law? original
    • 1.2: System Flowchart original
    • 1.3: Henry M. Hart, Jr.--The Aims of the Criminal Law original
    • 1.6: Ewing v. California original
    • 1.8: The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens original
    • 1.10: What is Prison Abolition? original
    • 1.11: Ten Economic Facts about Crime and Incarceration in the United States (Melissa S. Kearney, Benjamin H. Harris, Elisa Jácome, and Lucie Parker) original
    • 2: Legality original
    • 2.1: Commonwealth v. Mochan original
    • 2.3: Desertrain v. City of Los Angeles original
    • 2.4: Muscarello v. United States original
    • 2.6: Kelling and Wilson - "Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety" original
    • 3: Actus Reus original
    • 3.1: Martin v. State original
    • 3.2: Notes and Questions (Martin v State) original
    • 3.3: State v. Utter original
    • 3.4: Notes and Questions (State v. Utter) original
    • 3.5: People v. Decina original
    • 3.6: Notes and Questions (People v. Decina) original
    • 3.7: State v. Shell original
    • 3.8: Notes and Questions (State v. Shell) original
    • 3.9: Vermont Duty to Aid the Endangered Act original
    • 4: Mens Rea original
    • 4.1: Regina v. Cunningham original
    • 4.4: State v. Blurton original
    • 4.6: People v. Conley original
    • 4.8: State v. Nations original
    • 4.14: Kougl v. Board of Liquor License Commissioners original
    • 4.18: People v. Snyder original
    • 4.20: Mens Rea Problems original
    • 4.21: A Final Note on General Intent vs. Specific Intent original
    • 5: Causation original
    • 5.2: State v. Rose original
    • 5.3: Velazquez v. State original
    • 5.4: People v. Rideout original
    • 6: Homicide original
    • 6.1: Overview original
    • 6.1.1: Homicide Statistics original
    • 6.1.2: Model Penal Code Commentaries, Comment to § 210.2 original
    • 6.1.3: Model Penal Code Commentaries, Comment to § 210.3 original
    • 6.2: Statutes original
    • 6.2.1: CA Penal Code secs. 187 to 199 (2011) original
    • 6.2.2: PA Consol. Statutes, Title 18 Chapter 25 original
    • 6.2.3: NY Penal Law Article 125 original
    • 6.3: Intentional Homicide original
    • 6.3.2: Notes & Questions (State v. Guthrie) original
    • 6.3.4: Notes & Questions (Midgett v. State) original
    • 6.3.6: Notes & Questions (State v. Forrest) original
    • 6.4: Heat of Passion/ Manslaughter original
    • 6.4.1: Girouard v. State original
    • 6.4.2: Notes & Questions (Girouard v. State) original
    • 6.4.3: State v. Ott original
    • 6.4.4: Notes & Questions (State v. Ott) original
    • 6.5: Unintentional Homicide original
    • 6.5.1: Involuntary Manslaughter and Similar Offenses original
    • 6.5.1.2: Notes & Questions (People v. Knoller) original
    • 6.5.1.4: Notes & Questions (Walker v. Superior Court) original
    • 6.5.2: Felony Murder original
    • 6.5.2.1: Overview original
    • 6.5.2.3: Notes & Questions (People v. Fuller) original
    • 6.5.2.4: The Felony-Murder Rule: A Doctrine at Constitutional Crossroads original
    • 6.5.2.5: In Defense of the Felony Murder Doctrine original
    • 6.5.2.8: Notes & Questions (People v. Howard) original
    • 6.5.2.10: Notes & Questions (People v. Chun) original
    • 6.5.2.12: Notes & Questions (State v. Sophophone) original
    • 7: Inchoate Offenses original
    • 7.1: Attempt original
    • 7.1.1: Notes and Questions-General original
    • 7.1.3: People v. Gentry original
    • 7.1.4: Notes and Questions - People v. Gentry original
    • 7.1.5: Bruce v. State original
    • 7.1.6: Notes and Questions - Bruce v. State original
    • 7.1.7: United States v. Mandujano original
    • 7.1.8: Notes and Questions - United States v. Mandujano original
    • 7.1.9: Commonwealth v. Peaslee original
    • 7.1.10: Notes and Questions - Commonwealth v. Peaslee original
    • 7.1.11: People v. Rizzo original
    • 7.1.12: Notes and Questions - People v. Rizzo original
    • 7.1.13: State v. Reeves original
    • 7.1.14: United States v. Duran original
    • 7.1.15: Notes and Questions - State v. Reeves, U.S. v. Duran original
    • 7.1.16: United States v. Oviedo original
    • 7.1.17: People v. Thousand original
    • 7.1.19: Notes and Questions-Impossibility original
    • 7.1.20: Commonwealth v. McCloskey original
    • 7.1.21: Notes and Questions - Commonwealth v. McCloskey original
    • 7.1.22: Pre-Attempt Conduct original
    • 7.1.23: Elonis v. United States original
    • 7.1.24: Notes and Questions - Elonis v. United States original
    • 7.1.25: State v. Kimbrough original
    • 7.2: Solicitation original
    • 7.2.1: State v. Mann original
    • 7.2.2: U.S. v. Church original
    • 7.2.3: Notes and Questions - U.S. v. Church original
    • 7.3: Conspiracy original
    • 7.3.3: Notes & Questions (People v. Carter) original
    • 7.3.5: Notes & Questions (Pinkerton v. U.S.) original
    • 7.3.7: Notes & Questions (People v. Swain) original
    • 7.3.11: Notes & Questions (Commonwealth v. Costa) original
    • 7.3.14: People v. Moran original
    • 7.3.15: Notes & Questions (People v. Moran) original
    • 7.3.16: State v. Honken original
    • 7.3.17: Notes & Questions (State v. Honken) original
    • 8: Accomplice Liability original
    • 8.2: State v. Ward original
    • 8.4: State v. McVay original
    • 8.5: Notes on Accomplice Liability and Mens Rea original
    • 8.6: Accomplice Liability Hypotheticals original
    • 8.7: Wilcox v. Jeffery original
    • 8.8: State v. Linscott original
    • 8.10: Bailey v. Commonwealth original
    • 9: Sex Offenses original
    • 9.1: Introduction original
    • 9.1.1: Excerpt from Criminal Law: Cases, Controversies and Problems (West Academic Publishing 2019) by Joseph E. Kennedy (used with permission). original
    • 9.2: Statutes original
    • 9.2.3: CA Penal Code, Title 9 sec. 261 (1950) original
    • 9.2.4: CA Penal Code, Title 9 secs. 261-269 (2011) original
    • 9.2.5: Provisions of CA Penal Code under which Brock Turner was convicted: Title 9 secs. 220(a)(1), 289(e), and 289(d) (2013). original
    • 9.2.6: Amendments to CA Penal Code Following Convictions of Brock Turner, secs. 263.1, 1203.065 (Effective Jan. 1, 2017) original
    • 9.2.7: WI Statues Ch 940 original
    • 9.2.8: Model Penal Code 213 (1962) original
    • 9.2.9: Model Penal Code Proposed Section Article 213 (2016) original
    • 9.2.10: CA Education Code, sec. 67386 (2016) original
    • 9.3: Cases original
    • 9.3.1: State v. Alston original
    • 9.3.3: Commonwealth v. Gonzalez original
    • 9.3.4: Notes and Questions for Commonwealth v. Gonzalez original
    • 9.3.5: McQuirter v. State original
    • 9.4: Readings original
    • 9.4.1: She Didn't Act Like a Rape Victim original
    • 9.4.2: I Went on a Date with Aziz Ansari. It Turned Out to be the Worst Night of my Life original
    • 9.4.4: Assembly Bill 2888 original
    • 9.4.5: A Restorative Justice Approach to Sexual Assault original
    • 9.4.9: Turning Girls into Women: Reevaluating Modern Statutory Rape law original
    • 10: Defenses original
    • 10.1: General Principles, Third Parties, Defense of Property original
    • 10.1.1: Paul H. Robinson—Criminal Law Defenses: A Systematic Analysis original
    • 10.1.2: Principles of Justification original
    • 10.1.3: Model Penal Code section 3.04 original
    • 10.1.4: United States v. Peterson original
    • 10.1.5: Notes & Questions (United States v. Peterson) original
    • 10.1.6: State v. Abbott original
    • 10.2: What Is Reasonable? original
    • 10.2.1: People v. Goetz original
    • 10.2.2: Notes and Questions (People v. Goetz) original
    • 10.2.3: State v. Norman original
    • 10.2.4: State v. Norman original
    • 10.2.5: Notes & Questions (State v. Norman) original
    • 10.2.6: Florida Statute on Justifiable Use of Force original
    • 10.3: Necessity and Duress original
    • 10.3.1: Model Penal Code sec. 2.09 original
    • 10.3.3: Nelson v. State original
    • 10.3.5: United States v. Contento-Pachon original
    • 10.3.6: The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens original
    • 10.4: Intoxication original
    • 10.4.1: United States v. Veach original
    • 10.5: Insanity original
    • 10.5.1: Stephen Morse, Excusing the Crazy: The Insanity Defense Reconsidered original
    • 10.5.2: Mental Illness versus Criminal Insanity original
    • 10.5.3: Report to Minnesota Legislature: Mentally Ill Criminals and the Insanity Defense (excerpt), pp.2-14 original
    • 10.5.4: Model Penal Code sec. 4.01 original
    • 10.5.5: 18 U.S.C.A. § 17. Federal Insanity defense original
    • 10.5.6: Incompetent to Stand Trial Commitment Process Flowchart original
    • 10.5.7: Kahler v. Kansas original
    • 10.5.9: Clark v. Arizona original
    • 10.5.12: AN END TO INSANITY: RECASTING THE ROLE OF MENTAL DISABILITY IN CRIMINAL CASES, Christopher Slobogin original
    • 10.5.13: State v. Singleton original
    • 10.5.14: State v. Johnson original
    • 10.5.15: State v. Bottrell original
    • 11: Appendix original
    • 11.1: Criminal System Flowchart original
    • 11.2: Links to download the Model Penal Code original