This comprehensive and clearly written Understanding treatise is frequently cited by scholars and courts in their analysis of substantive criminal law, and has been a popular source of assistance to criminal law students for the past quarter century. Understanding Criminal Law is designed to be taught in conjunction with any casebook. The topics covered are those most often raised in criminal law casebooks, and coverage of these subjects is meant to complement professors' classroom discussions. The text focuses on the basic elements of, and defenses to, all crimes; provides in-depth coverage of such crimes as homicide, rape, and theft; and covers other important topics covered in a criminal law course, such as accomplice and inchoate liability.Understanding Criminal Law also covers theories of punishment, sources of the criminal law, and overarching principles such as legality and proportionality. The common law is emphasized with extensive comparisons to the Model Penal Code and modern statutes. This edition offers the most significant updating ever, including coverage of quickly changing legal areas, such as sexual assault and self-defense law. Recent revisions to the Model Penal Code are also covered. Read more

Legal Guide for Police: Constitutional Issues, 12th Edition, is a valuable tool for criminal justice students and law enforcement professionals, bringing them up-to-date with developments in the law of arrest, search and seizure, police authority to detain, questioning suspects and pretrial identification procedures, police power and its limitations, and civil liability of police officers and agencies. Including specific case examples, this revised edition provides the most current information for students and law enforcement professionals needing to develop an up-to-date understanding of the law.Authors Walker and Hemmens have included introductory and summary chapters to aid readers in understanding the context, importance, and applicability of the case law. All chapters have been updated to reflect U.S. Supreme Court decisions up to and including the 2021 term of court. Important cases added to this edition include: Caniglia v. Strom (2021) (warrantless search), Kansas v. Glover (2020) (vehicle stop), Mitchell v. Wisconsin (2019) (warrantless drawing of blood), Rivas-Villegas v. Cortesluna (qualified immunity), and Nieves v. Bartlett (2018) (retaliatory arrest). A helpful Appendix contains the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment, and a Table of Cases lists every case referenced in the text. Read more

When can the government read your email or monitor your web surfing? When can the police search your phone or copy your computer files? In the United States, the answers come from the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution and its ban on 'unreasonable searches and seizures.' The Digital Fourth Amendment: Privacy and Policing in Our Online World takes the reader inside the legal world of how courts are interpreting the Fourth Amendment in the digital age. Computers, smartphones, and the Internet have transformed criminal investigations, and even a routine crime is likely to lead to digital evidence. But courts are struggling to apply old Fourth Amendment concepts to the new digital world. Mechanically applying old rules from physical investigations doesn't make sense, as it often leads to dramatic expansions of government power just based on coincidences of computer design. Written by a prominent law professor whose scholarship has often been relied on by courts in the field, The Digital Fourth Amendment shows how judges must craft new rules for the new world of digital evidence. It explains the challenges courts confront as they translate old protections to a new technological world, bringing the reader up to date on the latest cases and rulings. Informed by legal history and the latest technology, this book gives courts a blueprint for legal change with clear rules for courts to adopt to restore our constitutional rights in the computer age. Read more

Unlock your potential in law enforcement with the TCOLE Study Guide 2025-2026, the ultimate all-in-one exam prep resource for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) test. This comprehensive guide is meticulously designed for aspiring officers seeking to excel in their TCOLE examinations.Inside this essential study companion, you will find:Thorough Coverage of Exam Materials: Detailed explanations of all key topics, including legal issues, ethics, communication skills, and more, ensuring you are well-versed in the material that matters most.555 TCOLE Exam Practice Questions: Challenge yourself with thousands of expertly crafted practice questions that mimic real TCOLE test scenarios. Each question is accompanied by in-depth answer explanations to reinforce your understanding and clarify any misconceptions.Proven Study Strategies: Tailored tips and methods to help you maximize your study time and maintain focus, ensuring you approach exam day with confidence.Visual Learning Tools: Infographics, tables, and charts that breakdown complex information into easy-to-digest formats, catering to different learning styles.Current and Relevant Material: Up-to-date with the latest regulations and procedures, this guide ensures you are studying the most relevant information for the 2025-2026 testing cycle.Whether you’re a first-time test taker or seeking to refresh your knowledge, the TCOLE Study Guide 2025-2026 is your essential partner in achieving success. Equip yourself with the knowledge and skills you need to pass the exam and embark on a rewarding career in law enforcement. Your future starts here—prepare with confidence and take your first step towards making a difference in your community! Read more

Written by bestselling author Larry Siegel, CRIMINOLOGY, 8th Edition, guides you through the fast-paced field of modern criminology, its most current research and fascinating examples that help you understand criminological theory. Details on the crimes of real-life people illustrate concepts, while unbiased coverage of even the most controversial topics -- ranging from responses to sexual assault on campus to cybercrime -- enables you to form your own opinions about current issues and events. The 8th edition offers insights into racial bias, political crime, terrorism, green-collar crime, ransomware attacks, human trafficking, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and more. Features such as "Crime of the Century" provide in-depth discussions of notorious crimes that captivated the public and shaped the way we view the true meaning of justice. Also available: MindTap digital learning solution. Read more

Sir Edward Coke (1552–1634) successfully defended English liberties against the royal prerogative of the Stuart kings and virtually single-handedly established the rule of law for the English-speaking peoples. Coke’s view of English law has had a powerful influence on lawyers, judges, and politicians through the present day.It was Coke’s astonishing task to set down the whole of the law―from Magna Carta to land law to criminal law, and the system of court procedure, from the High Court of Parliament down to the lowest courts of the realm―for students, lawyers, and laymen to understand it. The Institutes derived their authority not only from Coke’s personal influence but also, in part, from the great authority accorded the Reports, which themselves solidified the modern understanding of case law.The Liberty Fund edition of The Selected Writings of Sir Edward Coke is the first anthology of his works ever published.Steve Sheppard is Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and the William H. Enfield Distinguished Professor of Law at the School of Law, University of Arkansas. Read more

This popular casebook, through the selection of classic and modern cases, provides an excellent tool for teaching students the common law foundations of the criminal law and modern statutory reform, including the Model Penal Code. Along the way, the casebook considers modern controversies (e.g., "shaming" punishment, capital punishment, broadening sexual assault law, self-defense by battered women, euthanasia, the role of culture in determining culpability), and creatively uses literature (e.g., examining insanity through Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart) and even "brain teasers" to confront (as the Preface states) "the Big Questions . . . that philosophers, theologians, scientists, and poets, as well as lawyers, have grappled with for centuries." The Eighth Edition, as in the past, includes new cases, as well as updates in the notes that bring current issues of criminal law to the fore. Read more

As communities continue to undergo rapid demographic shifts that modify their composition, culture, and collective values, police departments serving those communities must evolve accordingly in order to remain effective. The Future of Policing: A Practical Guide for Police Managers and Leaders provides concrete instruction to agencies on how to promote successful policing by proceeding on a course informed by future trends and emerging community forces.Explores critical variables necessary for decision-makingDesigned for typical police departments with common structures, problems, and opportunities, this book offers a unique juxtaposition of real-life examples, futures research, emergent trends, and management implications. Each chapter provides a discussion of the professional literature, current and projected trends, and situations faced by agency executives and leaders. Through this multidimensional and contemporaneous approach, the book explores community and political variables crucial to the decision-making process. It describes methods that managers can employ to explore the future and prepare their agencies for possible, probable, and preferable trends and opportunities.Provides specific, concrete examplesDrawn from the authors’ research, as well as their own instructional and practical experience in the policing profession, this volume goes beyond esoteric, theoretical analysis and instead provides practical and well-grounded strategies for those who aspire to become police managers or current managers wishing to improve their proficiency. Using futures research and methodologies as the foundation for the text, this volume prepares practitioners to meet the challenges of policing and police management in the 21st century. Read more

Psychologists have always played a key role in determining how the juvenile justice system assesses and treats young offenders. Recent neuropsychological findings shows that there are important developmental differences between juvenile offenders, such as varying levels of maturity, risk potential, and amenability to treatment, not to mention individualized personality traits and possible mental disorders. Psychologists must therefore strive for targeted rehabilitation services to avoid unfair treatment and redirect youth to healthier life choices.This book provides forensic clinicians with practical strategies for evaluating juvenile offenders and seeking individualized rehabilitation services that will redirect youth to healthier life choices. It highlights five broad areas of juvenile assessment that are essential to any evaluation: veracity in reporting, personality and pathology, risk for dangerous behavior, developmental maturity, and treatment amenability. Readers will also learn how to present assessment data to judges in a thorough and understandable manner while also accounting for local laws and the political climate. Read more

Employing the unique, time-tested Examples & Explanations pedagogy, Examples & Explanations: Criminal Law combines textual material with well-written and comprehensive examples, explanations, and questions to test students’; comprehension of the materials and to provide practice in applying information to fact patterns. The questions, which often raise a variety of issues in one fact situation, are similar to those on a law school or bar examination. New to the Ninth Edition: Discussion of self-defense and police use of force issues Discussion of changes in model penal code rape law Interesting hypothetical situations based on real cases in recent years Professors and students will benefit from: Updated materials—utilizes well-known cases that have not made the appellate courts or even gone to litigation to make the material current and easily applicable Explanations include analysis of both prosecution and defense—this pedagogical approach provides valuable exam-writing skills for students Readable and accessible—often incorporates popular culture and humor to spark interest in students Highly recommended as the most popular preparation resource for Criminal Law— including by Atticus Falcon, author of Planet Law School, an orientation guide for students about to begin law school Straightforward presentation—clear, introductory text enables students to understand and apply principles Visual aids’ tables and charts demonstrate legal standards and concepts Read more

Model Rules of Professional Conduct, 2025 Edition, is the resource for current information on lawyer ethics. Federal, state, and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in resolving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions, and much more.The Rules, with some variations, have been adopted in 50 jurisdictions. Federal, state, and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in resolving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions, and much more.The Model Rules of Professional Conduct are intended to serve as a national framework for implementation of standards of professional conduct. Read more

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Mastering Criminal Law explores the basic principles useful in the study of criminal law, offering real world examples to understand these concepts. It provides a clear and concise consideration of the fundamental structure of a crime including statutory interpretation and sentencing. It has chapters on the typical crimes covered in most criminal law casebooks, namely, homicide, rape, assault and battery, and theft. Additionally, it covers accomplice liability, solicitation, attempt and conspiracy. It also covers defenses, including the right to present a defense. It distinguishes different approaches such as the Common Law and Model Penal Code and provides examples of different state statutes. Read more

This comprehensive and clearly written Understanding treatise is frequently cited by scholars and courts in their analysis of substantive criminal law, and has been a popular source of assistance to criminal law students for the past quarter century. Understanding Criminal Law is designed to be taught in conjunction with any casebook. The topics covered are those most often raised in criminal law casebooks, and coverage of these subjects is meant to complement professors' classroom discussions. The text focuses on the basic elements of, and defenses to, all crimes; provides in-depth coverage of such crimes as homicide, rape, and theft; and covers other important topics covered in the Criminal Law course, such as accomplice and inchoate liability. Understanding Criminal Law also covers theories of punishment, sources of the criminal law, and overarching principles such as legality and proportionality. The common law is emphasized with extensive comparisons to the Model Penal Code and modern statutes. This edition offers the most significant updating ever, including coverage of quickly changing legal areas, such as sexual assault and self-defense law. Recent and ongoing revisions to the Model Penal Code are also covered. Read more

Every action performed by a crime scene investigator has an underlying purpose: to both recover evidence and capture scene context. It is imperative that crime scene investigators must understand their mandate―not only as an essential function of their job but because they have the immense responsibility and duty to do so.Practice Crime Scene Processing and Investigation, Third Edition provides the essential tools for what crime scene investigators need to know, what they need to do, and how to do it. As professionals, any investigator’s master is the truth and only the truth. Professional ethics demands an absolute adherence to this mandate. When investigators can effectively seek, collect, and preserve information and evidence from the crime scene to the justice system―doing so without any agenda beyond seeking the truth― not only are they carrying out the essential function and duty of their job, it also increases the likelihood that the ultimate goal of true justice will be served. Richly illustrated―with more than 415 figures, including over 300 color photographs―the Third Edition of this best-seller thoroughly addresses the role of the crime scene investigator in the context of:Understanding the nature of physical evidence, including fingerprint, biological, trace, hair and fiber, impression, and other forms of evidence Assessing the scene, including search considerations and dealing with chemical and bioterror hazards Crime scene photography; scene sketching, mapping, and documentation; and the role of crime scene analysis and reconstruction Bloodstain pattern analysis and discussion of the body as a crime scene Special scene considerations, including fire, buried bodies, and entomological evidence Coverage details the importance of maintaining objectivity, emphasizing that every action the crime scene investigator performs has an underlying purpose: to both recover evidence and capture scene context.Key features:Outlines the responsibilities of the responding officer, from documenting and securing the initial information to providing emergency care Includes three new chapters on light technology and crime scene processing techniques, recovering fingerprints, and castings Addresses emerging technology and new techniques in 3-D Laser scanning procedures in capturing a scene Provides a list of review questions at the end of each chapter Practice Crime Scene Processing and Investigation, Third Edition includes practical, proven methods to be used at any crime scene to ensure that evidence is preserved, admissible in court, and persuasive.Course ancillaries including PowerPoint® lecture slides and a Test Bank are available with qualified course adoption. Read more

Wrongful convictions have become a prominent concern in state and federal systems of justice. As thousands of innocent prisoners have been freed in the United States in the past few decades, social science researchers and legal actors have produced a wealth of new insights about how and why mistakes occur and what can be done to help prevent further injustices. When Justice Fails surveys the field of innocence scholarship to offer an overview of the key research, legal, and policy issues associated with wrongful convictions. Topics include the leading sources of error, the detection and correction of miscarriages of justice, the aftermath of wrongful convictions, and more. The volume includes references to historic and contemporary instances of miscarriages of justice and presents information gleaned from media sources about the cases and related policy issues. The book is ideally suited for use in undergraduate classes which focus on wrongful convictions and the administration of justice.PowerPoint slides are available to professors upon adoption of this book. You can download a sample of the full 139-slide presentation here. If you have adopted the book for a course, contact [email protected] to request the PowerPoint slides."The learning objectives presented in the beginning of each chapter are accomplished through a variety of ways. Importantly, regardless of a student's background, discussions are presented from so many different angles that the material is tailored to all readers. Each chapter starts with a case study, introduces new concepts, discusses the related law, and concludes with presenting policy reforms. The authors not only present the issues related to wrongful convictions but the potential solutions as well." ― Matthew R. Hassett, UNC-Pembroke"I will continue to frequently open this book and read it to make myself a better police officer and to pass on knowledge to do my part in preventing wrongful convictions." ― Earthen McEachen, Senior Capstone student at Curry College in Boston Read more

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An Introduction to Criminal Law walks readers through a chronological and simplistic (yet detailed) dissection of the legal labyrinth. The comprehensive principles of criminal law are explained step-by-step with a focus on the professional applications of legal principles within the criminal justice system. Full of practical hands-on exercises, this resource is ideal for introductory undergraduate courses in criminal justice programs. Read more

This book is a comprehensive and accessible overview of sex trafficking in the United States, examining its underlying dynamics and sharing key research findings. Andrea J. Nichols examines the backgrounds and experiences of survivors, traffickers, and buyers, showing how social and structural dynamics affect trafficking in the United States. She details common risk factors for victimization, emphasizing weak social institutions and safety nets. This book’s intersectional approach foregrounds the ways social oppression and marginalization contribute to heightened vulnerability, accounting for the roles of race, ethnicity, citizenship status, sexuality, gender, age, and disability.Nichols introduces readers to the theoretical and political perspectives that shape research and policy on sex trafficking, considering abolitionist, neoliberal, feminist, criminological, and sociological viewpoints. She assesses the outcomes of policies relating to commercial sex and analyzes a variety of responses to sex trafficking, including in social services, health care, and the criminal legal system, as well as activism. Nichols reflects on how service providers, activists, and everyday people can effectively advocate for and with survivors of sex trafficking and offers recommendations for practice and policy.Sex Trafficking in the United States is essential for understanding the dynamics of sex trafficking and its underlying sources. This second edition is thoroughly revised and updated, integrating the most up-to-date research. Read more

On this fourth edition, Nina Rivkind and Steve Shatz, the authors of the previous editions, are joined by two co-authors with extensive death penalty law experience: Sam Kamin and Justin Marceau, professors at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. This edition includes eight principal cases decided since the third edition, including Cullen v. Pinholster, the Supreme Court's leading case on the scope of federal habeas corpus and Glossip v. Gross, the Court's latest decision on execution methods, one that produced a debate among four justices about the constitutionality of the death penalty itself. All notes have been updated to reflect recent case and non-case developments concerning the death penalty, and material has been added on the perspectives of victims' families and prison officials. This casebook is a comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of the Supreme Court’s death penalty jurisprudence. Part I contains background information about the death penalty and the Court’s seminal cases. Part II addresses constitutional challenges to various aspects of death penalty schemes. Part III considers the litigation of a capital case by examining the Court's constitutional decisions regarding the process as a whole and the penalty phase, in particular. Part IV covers issues arising after the death judgment, specifically, those arising on federal habeas corpus review of the death judgment and those concerning the execution itself. Part V reconsiders the death penalty in light of international norms and from the perspectives of victims' families, prison officials who administer the death penalty, and reformers. Read more