. Criminal Law Professor James R. Elkins College of Law / West Virginia University Fall, 2007 Background Readings for Criminal Law Read the West Virginia Jury Instruction: Charge to the Jury Read enough of the material on the following websites so that you have a basic understanding of the "criminal justice" system. [See also, Joshua Dressler, Understanding Criminal Law 1-9 (4th ed., 2006)] As the semester progresses, you may want to read Chapter 1, in Joshula Dressler, Cases and Materials on Criminal Law 1-28 (Thompson/West, 4th ed., 2007) [hereinafter Dressler] [Note: Further background readings may be assigned as the semester progresses. Assigned background readings will not be discussed in class.] Criminal Law & the Criminal Justice System Criminal Law and Procedure: FAQ Nolo: Law for All Challenge of Crime in a Free Society Report by the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice, 1967 Common Defenses to Criminal Charges Nolo: Law for All Criminal Investigation Criminal Law as taught in an American law school focuses little on how police investigate criminal conduct, yet it is the result of police investigations that make most criminal prosecutions possible and the nature and quality of these investigations play an important part in a defendant's trial. Model Penal Code Introduction to the Model Penal Code Professor Paul H. Robinson, Northwestern University Links to Articles on the Model Penal Code Grand Juries Federal Grand Jury You'll want to have working knowledge of what a grand jury is, and how they operate, and where they fit into the overall scheme of things. Professor Susan Brenner, University of Dayton, has provided a "must see" source for information on grand juries. (See, e.g., her FAQ [Frequently Asked Questions] about grand juries) An American Grand Jury: History, Secrecy, Process We get so busy learning the law of the day, that we forget that law (and legal institutions) have a history. Professor Mark Kadish, Georgia State University, in this law review article, provides an historical perspective on the American grand jury. West Virginia Court System The West Virginia Judiciary: A Comparative Portrait Criminal Codes (Essays by Paul H. Robinson, Northwestern University School of Law) The Five Worst (and Five Best) American Criminal Codes Structuring Criminal Codes to Perform Their Function Making Criminal Codes Functional Are Criminal Codes Irrelevant? Codifying Criminal Law: Do Modern Codes Have It Right? Model Jury Instructions West Virginia Jury Instructions on the Elements of Crimes Proposed Revised West Virginia Jury Instructions Professor James R. Elkins & Students, College of Law, West Virginia University Manual of Model Criminal Jury Instructions (for Federal Cases) New Jersey Model Criminal Jury Charges Finding Jury Instructions on the Web Defending a Criminal Case Defending a Criminal Case Allen B. Bickart, ABA General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division Homicide Homicide in Chicago Northwestern University School of Law The Politics of Criminalization The Over-Criminalization of Social and Economic Conduct Heritage Foundation Criminology Crimetheory.com History and theories of criminology; a wealth of resources compiled by Professor Bruce Hoffman, Department of Sociology, University of Washington Professor Elkins