Cases and Materials on Criminal Law (American Casebook Series) [Hardcover]

Joshua Dressler (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0314177191 | ISBN-13: 978-0314177193 | Publication Date: February 1, 2007 | Edition: 4th

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, rape 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

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

McGeorge School of Law --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1044 pages
• Publisher: West; 4th edition (February 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0314177191
• ISBN-13: 978-0314177193
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.7 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #323,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT A GOOD SOURCE, November 17, 2011

By 

James Ray - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cases and Materials on Criminal Law (American Casebook Series) (Hardcover)

This book has interesting cases the organization seems to be fairly straight forward for a 1y Crim law class, but in its entirety this book is just very ineffective. Its hard to describe, it is just not very well written. Many times you feel like Dressler is over philosophizing about key simple issues, and your left with no real understanding of the material. When I left for college it seems so long ago but I had a wonderful English teacher and he told me be careful because the further down the road my education takes me the more I will meet intelligent vibrant people-but poor educators. Dressler is a smart intelligent man but he fails miserably at making his material accessible to first year law students.

Good luck to you all who have to choke your way through this book.

2.0 out of 5 stars Bad, May 25, 2009

By 

P. McSheffrey - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cases and Materials on Criminal Law (American Casebook Series) (Hardcover)

I was assigned this book this past spring and found it to be terrible. As the last comment stated, I find the Understanding Criminal law written by Dresler to be much better for learning the material. The casebook even cites to the Understanding series at times. That seems kind of backward to me. This text has lots of excerpts of cases (even shorter than casebooks normally do it), and not very helpful explanation. but anyways, not the best text out there.

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Book, January 18, 2008

By 

M. O'Neill "left coast randonneur" (Santa Cruz, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cases and Materials on Criminal Law (American Casebook Series) (Hardcover)

It drives me nuts that there is a new edition for the 2007-2008 school year, but at least the cases are interesting and generally illustrative of the concepts being taught. Like most casebooks, don't expect to get everything that you need out of it.