The Best Books on Criminal Law

“Understanding Criminal Law” by Joshua Dressler is a highly regarded and frequently cited treatise on criminal law in America, that has been a popular resource for students of criminal law for the past 25 years. This comprehensive book covers a wide range of topics within criminal law, including the basic elements of crimes, defenses to criminal charges, and in-depth coverage of specific crimes such as homicide, rape, and theft. It also discusses theories of punishment, sources of the criminal law, and overarching principles such as legality and proportionality.

The book focuses on common law, with extensive comparisons to the Model Penal Code and modern statutes. This edition has been significantly updated to include coverage of quickly-changing legal areas such as sexual assault and self-defense law, as well as recent revisions to the Model Penal Code. It is designed to be used in conjunction with a criminal law casebook and complements classroom discussions.

“Criminal Law and Procedure for the Paralegal” by Edward C. Carter is a comprehensive guide to criminal law and procedure for paralegals in the US. It covers local, state, and federal criminal cases and explains the role of paralegals in the investigation, prosecution, and defense of criminal cases. The book uses actual examples from practice to provide students with a real-world understanding of the paralegal’s role in criminal cases. It follows a building-block approach, explaining the basic elements of all criminal offenses and how they are used to define crimes.

The third edition of the book has been updated to include deeper examination of certain subjects and new material reflecting the evolution of certain areas of the law in response to technology. It also includes new case cites and expanded discussions of universal jurisdiction, searches of electronically stored information, and the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the Eighth Amendment.

The book is organized into four parts: an introduction to the criminal justice system, a distinction between criminal law and criminal procedure, criminal law, and criminal procedure. It includes clear explanations of key concepts, edited cases that illustrate key concepts, helpful pedagogy, and an integrated treatment of white-collar crime. Professors and students will benefit from the book’s eye on ethics and historical perspective sidebars, as well as its review questions and chapter objectives.

“Criminal Law: Text, Cases, and Materials” by Jonathan Herring is a comprehensive resource for students studying criminal law. It offers a clear and engaging explanation of the law, alongside expertly selected extracts from key cases and academic sources. The book is organized into two parts, the first explaining the law as it is and the second examining the theoretical aspects of the law. This effective structure ensures that readers not only gain a secure understanding of the law itself, but also acquire a fundamental appreciation of the surrounding philosophical and ethical debates.

The author’s clear writing style brings the subject to life and places the law in context, making it an essential and complete resource for anyone wanting to understand the fascinating and sometimes challenging area of criminal law. This edition is available in various formats and is supported by online resources, including self-test questions, an introductory video from the author, key case flashcards, guidance on answering selected questions in the book, a bibliography, and useful web links.

“Criminal Law” by Joel Samaha is a clear and easy-to-understand text that helps students apply the enduring foundations and principles of criminal law in the US to current court cases and specific crimes. The book combines case excerpts with author commentary to guide students in sharpening their critical thinking and legal analysis skills. It covers the general principles of criminal liability and its defenses, as well as the elements of crimes against persons, property, society, and the state.

These principles are illustrated through real-world cases and crimes. The 12th edition of the book is up-to-date with the latest topics and court cases, and includes real-world illustrations and study tools to help students succeed in their course (including MindTap). Former users report that this is the only criminal law book they keep, and those who go on to law school say that it helps them in their criminal law course.

“Smith, Hogan, & Ormerod’s Criminal Law” by David Ormerod and Karl Laird is a leading textbook on criminal law in England and Wales. It is highly regarded for its depth of analysis, breadth of coverage, and accessible style, and has been an invaluable resource for undergraduate students and an essential reference source for criminal law practitioners for over 50 years.

The 16th edition of the book is available in various formats and is supported by online resources, including a selection of additional online chapters, a full bibliography arranged alphabetically and by chapter, and annual updates. The e-book version offers a mobile-friendly experience and convenient access, along with functionality tools, navigation features, and links that provide extra learning support.

“The Criminal Law Handbook” by Paul Bergman and Sara J. Berman is a comprehensive guide to the criminal justice system that explains how the system works, why police, lawyers, and judges do what they do, and what suspects, defendants, and prisoners can expect. It provides critical information on working with a lawyer and covers a wide range of topics in plain English, including search and seizure, arrest, booking, and bail, Miranda rights, arraignment, plea bargains, trials, sentencing, common defenses, working with defense attorneys, constitutional rights, juvenile court, legal terms and definitions, appeals, public defenders, and victims’ rights.

The 17th edition of the book is completely updated, covering the latest in criminal law, including U.S. Supreme Court cases. It is an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand the complex rules and procedures of criminal law.

“Criminal Law” by Jonathan Herring is a highly regarded and bestselling textbook on criminal law in the UK, that provides a clear and straightforward account of the subject. It also introduces current debates about the nature, scope, and functions of the law and discusses wider controversies surrounding the basic doctrines.

The book is written by one of the UK’s leading experts on criminal law and is known for its compact yet comprehensive coverage, well-structured organization, and engaging style. It is an essential resource for anyone studying criminal law.

The adversary system of trial, which is characterized by the use of lawyers for both the prosecution and defense and the presentation of evidence and arguments by both sides, is a defining feature of Anglo-American legal procedure. However, it was not always this way. In “The Origins of Adversary Criminal Trial,” John H. Langbein explores the transformation of the criminal trial from a lawyer-free to a lawyer-dominated process that occurred in England from the 1690s to the 1780s.

Drawing upon a range of legal sources as well as contemporary pamphlet accounts of trials at London’s Old Bailey, Langbein provides a detailed account of the development of the law of criminal evidence and explains how lawyers came to capture the trial. He shows how, in response to threatening prosecutorial initiatives, judges in the 1730s allowed defendants to have counsel to cross-examine accusing witnesses.

However, defense counsel ultimately manipulated the dynamics of the adversary system to silence the accused and transform the purpose of the criminal trial, which ceased to be an opportunity for the accused to speak and became an occasion for defense counsel to challenge the prosecution’s case.

“Criminal Law and Its Processes” by Sanford H. Kadish, Stephen J. Schulhofer, and Rachel E. Barkow is a comprehensive textbook that provides students with a cohesive policy framework for understanding and examining the role of criminal laws in social control, as well as the analytic tools needed to understand and apply important criminal law doctrines. Rather than presenting the elements of various crimes in a disjointed manner, the book focuses on helping students develop a nuanced understanding of the underlying principles, rules, and policy rationales that inform all criminal laws.

It features a cases-and-notes pedagogy along with scholarly excerpts, questions, and notes to provide students with a rich foundation for both the academic examination and real-world application of criminal laws. The 10th edition of the book retains the prior edition’s principal cases and Notes and Questions approach, and includes updates to incorporate contemporary cases and recent news as well as additional preeminent cases in the field of criminal law. It also includes a revised chapter on theft and expanded discussions on mass incarceration, prosecutorial/law enforcement discretion, and the intersections between race and criminal law.

When purchasing a new version of the textbook, students will receive access to the Connected eBook with Study Center on CasebookConnect, which includes lifetime access to the online ebook with highlight, annotation, and search capabilities, practice questions from popular study aids, an outline tool, and other helpful resources.

“Criminal Law” by Thomas J. Gardner and Terry M. Anderson is a comprehensive textbook that provides students with a solid understanding of the major components of substantive criminal law. Known for its reader-friendly presentation, the book has been a student favorite for over 30 years. It uses a more narrative, descriptive approach, with fewer lengthy cases, to expose readers to the language of the law without overwhelming them with legalese.

The text covers the issues and principles driving American criminal justice today in a way that combines current concerns and cases with an accessible writing style and study system to help students build a practical understanding of complex legal topics. The 13th edition of the book is updated to reflect the most current developments in criminal law.