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Contemporary Criminal Law

3rd Edition
Mark Osler
ISBN: 9798317701147
Subject: Criminal Law
Format: Print - Hardbound
Page Count: 903
Copyright: 2026 | Status: Accepting Pre-Orders
Other Formats Available

The 3rd edition of Contemporary Criminal Law diverges from the predominant model in several ways: it maintains integrity by using only federal cases, focuses on elements, offers full chapters on narcotics, firearms, and immigration, and systemically shapes the presentation of readings to train students to begin thinking in the way required by the Nextgen bar exam. The Nextgen model shifts the focus of bar exam questions towards analyzing texts from the perspective of a practitioner. This book follows each case with an exercise that does exactly that, either looking to that case as a text or creating a new scenario that presents the same issue. As a whole, the casebook presents a teaching rhythm that allows instructors to focus on the skills needed to do well in understanding the law and in tackling the Nextgen bar: A concept is introduced and explained, a case is presented, and an exercise pushes the student into the role of a participant in the criminal law process.


Imprint: West Academic Publishing
Series: American Casebook Series
Publication Date: 10/02/2026

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
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  • 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.

This edition aligns the exercises to the skills needed to master the Nextgen bar exam, updates cases, and accommodates shifting law in areas including immigration.

Learn more about this series.