Criminal Course

Lesson 1 • Sources and Hierarchy of Criminal Law

Identifies constitutions, statutes, common law, and regulations as layered sources. Students learn to locate controlling authority for any criminal question.

Lesson 2 • Key Actors in the Criminal Justice System

Maps roles of police, prosecutors, defense counsel, judges, and juries. Clarifies institutional relationships that shape case outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Nature and Purpose of Criminal Law

Examines why societies criminalize conduct and what distinguishes criminal from civil liability. Anchors all subsequent doctrine in a coherent theoretical framework.

Lesson 4 • Elements of a Crime

Breaks down actus reus, mens rea, causation, and harm as required proof elements. Students apply this framework to analyze any offense encountered later.

Lesson 1 • Arrest, Booking, and Initial Appearance

Details legal standards for arrest, custodial processing, and the first judicial review. Students identify when rights attach and what errors invalidate custody.

Lesson 2 • Charging Decisions and Grand Jury

Explains prosecutorial charging discretion, information filings, and grand jury indictment. Connects charging choices to case strategy and defendant rights.

Lesson 3 • Trial Process and Verdict

Walks through jury selection, opening statements, examination of witnesses, and deliberation. Students can identify procedural errors that support appeal.

Lesson 4 • Constitutional Rights of the Accused

Covers search and seizure protections, self-incrimination privilege, and right to counsel. These rights constrain every investigative and prosecutorial action studied later.

Lesson 5 • Pretrial Motions and Discovery

Covers suppression motions, Brady obligations, and defense discovery rights. Students learn how pretrial litigation shapes the evidence available at trial.

Lesson 1 • Crime Scene Management

Covers scene security, documentation, and chain of custody from first response onward. Proper scene management is the foundation of admissible physical evidence.

Lesson 2 • Forensic Evidence Types

Examines DNA, fingerprints, ballistics, toxicology, and digital artifacts as evidence categories. Students assess probative value and limitations of each type.

Lesson 3 • Witness Testimony and Identification

Covers eyewitness reliability, lineup procedures, and expert witness standards. Students identify suggestive procedures that undermine identification evidence.

Lesson 4 • Digital and Electronic Evidence

Addresses collection, preservation, and authentication of digital evidence including metadata. Students apply search warrant requirements to electronic devices.

Lesson 1 • Homicide Offenses

Distinguishes murder degrees, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, and felony murder. Students apply mens rea analysis to classify any killing scenario.

Lesson 2 • Kidnapping and False Imprisonment

Defines unlawful restraint, asportation, and aggravating circumstances such as ransom. Students distinguish kidnapping from lesser restraint offenses.

Lesson 3 • Stalking, Harassment, and Threats

Addresses pattern-of-conduct offenses, cyberstalking, and criminal threat statutes. Connects to digital evidence issues introduced in later chapters.

Lesson 4 • Sexual Offenses

Examines rape, sexual assault, and related offenses including consent doctrine and force requirements. Students evaluate evidentiary challenges unique to these prosecutions.

Lesson 1 • Fraud and Forgery

Covers misrepresentation-based offenses, document falsification, and identity fraud. Connects to white-collar crime concepts developed in Chapter 6.

Lesson 2 • Theft and Larceny Offenses

Covers taking, carrying away, and intent to permanently deprive across theft variants. Students apply value thresholds to grade offenses correctly.

Lesson 3 • Arson and Property Destruction

Examines willful burning, degrees of arson, and malicious destruction of property. Students evaluate fire investigation evidence and motive proof.

Lesson 4 • Burglary and Criminal Trespass

Distinguishes breaking and entering with intent from mere unauthorized presence. Students trace how modern statutes have expanded common law burglary.

Lesson 1 • Justification Defenses

Covers self-defense, defense of others, defense of property, and law enforcement privilege. Students apply force proportionality analysis to fact patterns.

Lesson 2 • Excuse Defenses

Examines insanity, diminished capacity, intoxication, and duress as excusing conditions. Students distinguish excuse from justification and assess strategic use.

Lesson 3 • Consent and Victim Conduct

Analyzes consent as a defense, its limits, and contributory victim conduct. Students evaluate when victim behavior affects criminal liability.

Lesson 4 • Entrapment and Government Misconduct

Covers subjective and objective entrapment tests and outrageous government conduct. Students identify when law enforcement overreach negates liability.

Lesson 1 • Conspiracy and Complicity

Covers agreement, overt act, and co-conspirator liability rules. Students apply Pinkerton liability to attribute crimes across criminal networks.

Lesson 2 • Racketeering and Enterprise Liability

Analyzes enterprise, pattern of racketeering, and civil and criminal enterprise statutes. Students identify predicate acts and enterprise structures.

Lesson 3 • Asset Forfeiture and Recovery

Covers civil and criminal forfeiture, innocent owner defenses, and tracing requirements. Students evaluate forfeiture as an investigative and prosecutorial tool.

Lesson 4 • Money Laundering

Covers placement, layering, and integration stages and the offenses targeting each. Students trace illicit funds through financial systems.

Lesson 1 • Parole, Reentry, and Recidivism Reduction

Addresses parole eligibility, supervision conditions, revocation, and evidence-based reentry programs. Students design reentry plans targeting recidivism risk factors.

Lesson 2 • Sentencing Guidelines and Discretion

Covers structured sentencing grids, mandatory minimums, and judicial departure authority. Students calculate guideline ranges and identify departure grounds.

Lesson 3 • Sentencing Philosophies and Goals

Contrasts retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation as sentencing rationales. Students evaluate how each philosophy shapes sentencing outcomes.

Lesson 4 • Alternatives to Incarceration

Examines probation, community service, electronic monitoring, and diversion programs. Students match alternative sanctions to offense and offender characteristics.