Criminal Law

3 credits · Law School

In this course, we will explore fundamental concepts in American criminal law and American criminal procedure. By the end of this course, you should be acquainted with the core criminal laws in this country, defenses to those crimes, and the procedures we use to adjudicate crime. This course will also cover the methods used to obtain evidence about crime, principally through looking at constitutional rules regulating the police. Along the way, the course will touch on the central controversies governing criminal punishment today. This course focuses on fundamental concepts for criminal law and the constitutional and statutory principles governing criminal procedure. It will introduce students to the vocabulary lawyers and judges use in processing criminal cases, the ways in which the criminal legal system effectuates society’s goals, and the central controversies associated with that system. [3]