Criminal Law,
12th Edition

Joel Samaha

ISBN-13: 9781305577381
Copyright 2017 | Published
576 pages | List Price: USD $287.95

Clear and easy to understand, Joel Samaha's best-selling text helps you apply criminal law's enduring foundations and principles to fascinating, current court cases and specific crimes. With a blend of case excerpts and author commentary, the author guides you as you sharpen your critical thinking and legal analysis skills. As you progress through the book, you'll learn about the general principles of criminal liability and its defenses, as well as the elements of crimes against persons, property, society, and the state. You'll also see these principles at work in the cases and crimes that illustrate them. Featuring the latest topics and court cases, real-world illustrations, and study tools to maximize your course success (including MindTap), CRIMINAL LAW, 12th Edition will serve as a valuable reference long after you graduate. In fact, former users report that this is the only book they keep, and those who go on to law school say that it helps them in their criminal law course.

Purchase Enquiry INSTRUCTOR’S eREVIEW COPY

1. Criminal Law and Punishment in U.S. Society: An Overview.
2. Constitutional Limits on Criminal Law.
3. The Criminal Act: The First Principle of Criminal Liability.
4. The General Principles of Criminal Liability: Men's Rea, Concurrence, Ignorance, and Mistake.
5. Defenses to Criminal Liability I: Justifications.
6. Defenses to Criminal Liability II: Excuses.
7. Parties to Crime and Vicarious Liability.
8. Inchoate Crimes.
9. Crimes Against Persons I: Murder and Manslaughter.
10. Crimes Against Persons II: Sex Offenses, Bodily Injury, and Personal Restraint.
11. Crimes Against Property.
12. Crimes Against Public Order and Morals.
13. Crimes Against the State.
Appendix (Selected Amendments to Constitution of the United States: The Bill of Rights and Amendment XIV).
Glossary.
Bibliography.

  • Joel Samaha

    Joel Samaha is University Distinguished Teaching Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota, where he teaches Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure. He received his B.A. (History), J.D., and Ph.D. (History) from Northwestern University and studied under Sir Geoffrey Elton at Cambridge University, England. Professor Samaha was admitted to the Illinois Bar, briefly practiced law in Chicago, and then taught at UCLA. In 1971, he joined the University of Minnesota, where he served as Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice Studies for four years, taught television and radio courses in criminal justice, co-taught a National Endowment for the Humanities seminar in legal and constitutional history, was named College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Teacher in 1974, and named University Distinguished Teaching Professor in 2007. Professor Samaha's works have appeared in Historical Journal, American Journal of Legal History, Minnesota Law Review, William Mitchell Law Review, and Journal of Social History.

  • Updated case coverage includes discussion of, to name a few: State v. Newman (2013), "sleep driving"; Williams v. State (2013), possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; Commonwealth v. Johnson (2014), cyber-harassment and free speech; Woolard v. Gallagher (2013), right to bear arms and "good and substantial reason to carry gun requirement"; Myers III v. State (2015), criminogenic "invisible wounds" and PTSD affected by multiple combat tours in the Afghanistan/Iraq wars; and Gonzalez v. Carhart (2007), whether late term abortions are murder.

  • Every chapter begins with a new chapter-opening vignette that draws students into the material by spotlighting a high-profile topic illustrative of a criminal law or criminal defense issue. Students read about the Woman's Right to Know act, which requires a physician to perform an ultrasound on a woman seeking an abortion (Ch. 2); a couple accused of starving to death a man who paid the couple to take care of him (Ch. 3); and Peggy Stewart, who shot her abusive husband after becoming especially fearful for her life when she found a loaded gun in her home (Ch. 5).

  • A new "You Decide" boxed feature in most chapters develops critical thinking skills by looking at cases that push the boundaries of existing criminal law. For example, "Did he kill during diabetic insulin shock?" pushes the definition of the "voluntary act" requirement (State v. Moore, 2013), and "Should cyberbullying be a crime?" asks whether the criminal law is the best tool to respond to this current issue.

  • A new "Criminal Law in Focus" feature in most chapters expands on key concepts and issues raised in the chapter. For example, "Model Penal Code Levels of Culpability" lays out definitions that students need to know in almost every chapter of the book. "Reasonableness and the Battered Woman" expands the boundaries of "reasonable belief in imminent danger" to include what "a battered woman would reasonably believe is imminent."

  • Updated throughout, this edition continues to provide real-world insight to students with coverage on such hot topics as syndrome defenses, insanity defenses, terrorism/homeland security, illegal immigration, illegal drugs and sex offenses, and social media and the law. There's also discussion on the highly controversial issue of when, if ever, it's a crime for police officers to shoot and/or detain people in the neighborhoods they police -- such as New York City; Ferguson, Missouri; North Charleston, South Carolina; and Baltimore, Maryland.

  • The new MindTap® online learning platform for Criminal Law, 12th Edition, offers customizable content, course analytics, an e-reader, and an applied learning experience –- all delivered within your current learning management system. With its rich array of media assets –- all tagged by learning objective and Bloom's Taxonomy level –- MindTap engages students, guides them toward mastery of basic concepts, and advances their critical thinking abilities.

  • Every chapter begins with a new chapter-opening vignette that draws you into the material by spotlighting a high-profile topic illustrative of a criminal law or criminal defense issue. You'll read about the Woman's Right to Know act, which requires a physician to perform an ultrasound on a woman seeking an abortion (Ch. 2); a couple accused of starving to death a man who paid the couple to take care of him (Ch. 3); and Peggy Stewart, who shot her abusive husband after becoming especially fearful for her life when she found a loaded gun in her home (Ch. 5).

  • An updated running glossary in the text's margins provides you with an invaluable review and study tool.

  • Coverage on such hot topics as syndrome and insanity defenses, feticide, "suicide by cop," PTSD and the "hidden wounds" of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, cyber-bullying, "home-grown" terrorists, illegal immigration law, illegal drugs, sex offenses, and social media and the law provides you with practical, real-world insight. There's also discussion on the controversial issue of when, if ever, it's a crime for police officers to shoot and/or detain people in the neighborhoods they police -- such as New York City; Ferguson, Missouri; North Charleston, South Carolina; and Baltimore, Maryland.

  • The new MindTap® online learning platform for Criminal Law engages you with video cases, career scenarios, visual summaries, and interactive investigation labs, and shows you where you stand at all times -- both individually and compared to the highest performers in class. MindTap guides you through a learning path customized by your instructor for your Criminal Law course. You'll master the most important information with built-in study tools such as visual chapter summaries and integrated learning objectives that help you stay organized and use your time efficiently.

  • MindTap for Criminal Law, 12th Edition has met the Quality Matters Review Standards and is Quality Matters Certified. For more information, visit qualitymatters.org.

  • Helping students focus on key topics, chapter-opening numbered learning objectives are called out in text margins and revisited in the end-of-chapter summary. Objectives are also integrated into the Test Bank and other supplements that accompany the text.

  • Samaha's popular text/casebook approach gives you ultimate flexibility in organizing your course. It enables you to pick and choose the extent of case coverage you want while still enjoying the advantage of this bestseller's superb and comprehensive coverage of case law.

  • Clear and accessible for students, Samaha's CRIMINAL LAW also is impeccably accurate, case-driven, and comprehensive for your teaching needs -- understandably making it the text of choice at colleges across the country.

  • Providing a durable, practical framework that students can apply to specific cases in the textbook, Professor Samaha focuses on the principles that affect the whole of criminal law, showing students the continuing relevance of these principles to new developments and jurisdictional differences.

  • Maximizing students' learning potential and course success, learning tools make this book appropriate for a wide range of students, including today's visual and online-oriented learners. Absorbing case "teasers" draw students into each chapter, and "Elements of Crime" boxes give a visual view of the elements of the major crimes included in the book. Case-clarifying discussion questions offer further insight, while Internet references connect students to additional resources. The entire Bill of Rights appears in the appendix, providing a handy reference.

  • An updated running glossary in the text's margins provides an invaluable review and study tool for students.

  • Helping you focus on key topics, chapter-opening learning objectives are called out in text margins and revisited in the end-of-chapter summary.

  • Unique "You Decide" boxes in each chapter put you in the role of decision maker, challenging you to apply the legal concepts presented in the chapter to real-world situations. Topics include "Did he kill during diabetic insulin shock", "Should cyber-bullying be a crime?", and "Is 'sleep sex' a voluntary act?"

  • Providing a durable, practical framework that you can apply to specific cases in the textbook, the author focuses on the principles that affect the whole of criminal law, showing you the continuing relevance of these principles to new developments and jurisdictional differences.

Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

Cengage Testing, powered by Cognero® for Samaha's Criminal Law
9781305640160

Cengage Testing, powered by Cognero® for Samaha's Criminal Law, Instant Access
9781305640177

Online Instructor's Resource Manual for Samaha's Criminal Law, 12th
9781305640139

Online PowerPoint® Slides for Samaha's Criminal Law, 12th
9781305640146

Online Test Bank Microsoft Word for Samaha’s Criminal Law, 12th
9781305881181

VitalSource eBook: Criminal Law
9788000010885

MindTap: Criminal Law 12 Months
9781337097758