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Contemporary Criminal Law

2nd Edition
Mark Osler
ISBN: 9781647086480
Subject: Criminal Law
Format: Print - Hardbound
Page Count: 964
Copyright: 2022 | Status: In Stock
Other Formats Available

The Second Edition of Contemporary Criminal Law presents a clean new approach to teaching criminal law to first year students. A consistent emphasis on the elements of crime centers the book on what matters most, and compelling exercises are rooted in the discretion of prosecutors and judges. Using only opinions from federal courts in the modern era, the book presents a coherence that is missing from texts rooted in a hodge-podge of time frames and jurisdictions. Narcotics, firearm crimes, and immigration all are addressed in complete chapters, reflecting the real-life world of criminal law as it now exists. This second edition includes 23 new cases and commentary aimed at sharpening this focus.


Imprint: West Academic Publishing
Series: American Casebook Series
Publication Date: 12/29/2021

Mark Osler, University of St. Thomas-MN School of Law

CasebookPlus™

This title is available in our CasebookPlus format. CasebookPlus provides support beyond your classroom lectures and materials by offering additional digital resources to you and your students. Anchored by faculty-authored formative self-assessments keyed to our most popular casebooks, CasebookPlus allows students to test their understanding of core concepts as they are learning them in class – on their own, outside of the classroom, with no extra work on your part. CasebookPlus combines three important elements:

  • A new print or digital casebook
  • Access to a downloadable eBook with the ability to highlight and add notes
  • 12-month access to a digital Learning Library complete with:
Multiple-choice self-assessment questions, including:
  • Chapter questions keyed to the casebook
  • Black Letter Law questions (available in select subjects)
  • Subject area review questions for end of semester use
Essay and short answer questions with sample answers and expert commentary, in 1L and select upper-level subjects

Leading digital study aids, an outline starter, and audio lectures in select subjects

Students can still utilize CasebookPlus digital resources if they’ve purchased a used book or are renting their text by purchasing the Learning Library at westacademic.com.

With CasebookPlus, you can customize your students’ learning experience and monitor their performance. The quiz editor allows you to create your own custom quiz set, suppress specific quiz questions or quiz sets, and time-release quiz questions. Additionally, the flexible, customized reporting capability helps you evaluate your students’ understanding of the material and can also help your school demonstrate compliance with the new ABA Assessment and Learning Outcomes standards.

  • 23 new cases, most of them from within the last 15 years, provide clearer messaging on crucial issues throughout the book.
  • An enhanced first chapter, with 6 new cases and commentary, improves readability and employs better-known examples like Burrage v. United States and Dassey v. Dittman.
  • Chapter 9, covering Crimes Against Justice, now includes material from the Mueller Report to explain Obstruction of Justice.
  • Chapter 10, which covers Attempt, Conspiracy, and Accomplice Liability, was also largely remade, with 6 new cases and text added to others. These improvements bring in more modern cases, adjust for changes in the law, and remove cases that were difficult for some students.
  • Typos were removed and additional explanation of key concepts added in every chapter.

Learn more about this series.