Review (PDF) Cases And Materials On Criminal Law, 5th (American Casebook) (American Casebook Series)
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.
Series: American Casebook Series
Hardcover: 1099 pages
Publisher: West; 5 edition (October 28, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0314206450
ISBN-13: 978-0314206459
Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.6 x 1.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #435,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #224 in Books > Law > Rules & Procedures > Courts #483 in Books > Textbooks > Law > Criminal Law #1839 in Books > Law > Criminal Law
Of all the case books that I have used thus far in my law school career, this book by far is the worst. While some of the cases are interesting, Dressler fails many times to give adequate explantions of many of the topics covered. Dressler does a much more impressive job of conveying the topic in his book "Understanding Criminal Law".
THis is a law school casebook for Criminal Law (just so you know what you're looking at here...). I thought Dressler does a good job here laying out Criminal Law. I enjoyed reading it. It may have been a little policy and theory heavy. I recommend getting Dressler's Criminal Law supplement if you're using this textbook, it's inexpensive and pretty much keyed to the text. (I also got E&E criminal alw, which I do not recommend if you are using this book, as it just served to confuse me and focus on different topics, while occasionally presenting conflicting material).
Dressler's casebook covers each topic of criminal law methodically. His organization of the material is satisfactory, but many of the topics do not include enough specific cases that include modern statutes. I found some of the cases cited to be the exception rather than the rule. Overall, it is easy to read, and many of the cases are interesting. However, I do suggest referring to a hornbook.
This text was required for my Criminal Law class. It's hard to review a textbook without reviewing the class too. I'll try my best to keep them apart.Overall, I liked this book enough. The cases were interesting and commentary was helpful. We covered a good deal of the material - as any Criminal Law course would.If you are purchasing this for class (and why would you be buying it otherwise), the supplement the Author wrote is VERY helpful. The supplement goes over the concepts and rationale behind the policies in the law. (You probably don't need the supplement to be the same edition as the book.)My book is in a great state after being carried around all semester. It's a heavy book, but it's law school - what do you expect?
Dressler does a great job with a mixture of case summaries and stating the Modern Penal Code. Works very well for the class I needed it for. It was in relatively good condition when it arrived and sufficed for the description I was given before ordering.
Some cases were so chopped it was actually difficult to discern what the holding was. Definitely edited by someone familiar with the law without a great deal of forethought that the target audience is unfamiliar with criminal law. The secondary source supplements were somewhat moderate with a left-lean regarding prosecution. Sufficient for its purpose but definitely not the best casebook I have ever read.
I had the privilege of having Mr. Dressler, the author, as a teacher. He is excellent, and so is his textbook. A clear and balanced perspective of Criminal Law including empathy for criminals and suggestions to improve the Criminal Justice system. Highly recommended.
I can't compare this book to other criminal law textbooks, but in comparison to other law texts on other legal subjects it stands as probably the best book I've used in my classes so far. The book is well organized, cover subjects in a way that allowed our class to go through the book from beginning to end (though we skipped the sections on sexual assault). Dressler's notes are written in a way that is both thoughtful and amusing. He also does a good job of presenting essays that give a lot of background and philosophical context to different elements of the criminal law. Unlike some other books that use these notes in a way that complicate the doctrine, Dressler keeps it clear what the prevalent law actually is. The only flaw with the book is the slightly humorous way that Dressler tends to quote sources he wrote and use his own essays as sources. This doesn't detract from the quality of the information, mind you. It just becomes something of a running joke after a while.
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