Criminal Law and Procedure Course

Lesson 1 • Structure of the Criminal Justice System

Maps the roles of law enforcement, prosecution, defense, courts, and corrections. Provides the institutional context for all procedural topics ahead.

Lesson 2 • Sources and Hierarchy of Law

Identifies constitutional provisions, statutes, common law, and regulations as sources of criminal law. Shows how conflicts between sources are resolved.

Lesson 3 • Constitutional Limits on Criminal Law

Examines due process, equal protection, and void-for-vagueness doctrines as constraints on criminal statutes. Establishes the constitutional floor for all criminal legislation.

Lesson 1 • Actus Reus: The Criminal Act

Defines the voluntary act requirement and its exceptions. Connects the physical conduct element to the broader proof structure of any criminal charge.

Lesson 2 • Causation and Harm

Covers actual and proximate causation as elements linking conduct to prohibited results. Prepares students to analyze intervening cause problems in complex cases.

Lesson 3 • Concurrence and Attendant Circumstances

Explains the temporal concurrence requirement and the role of attendant circumstances in defining offenses. Completes the full elemental framework for crime analysis.

Lesson 1 • Conspiracy

Analyzes the agreement element, overt act requirements, and scope of conspiracy liability. Highlights how conspiracy charges extend criminal exposure beyond completed acts.

Lesson 2 • Criminal Attempt

Defines attempt and the tests used to identify the required substantial step toward a crime. Distinguishes mere preparation from punishable conduct.

Lesson 3 • Accomplice and Accessory Liability

Distinguishes principals, accomplices, and accessories and assigns liability to each. Equips students to charge and defend group criminal conduct accurately.

Lesson 1 • Mental Incapacity Defenses

Examines insanity tests, diminished capacity, and competency to stand trial. Connects mental state doctrine from Chapter 2 to its defensive application.

Lesson 2 • Affirmative Defenses and Burden of Proof

Addresses which party bears the burden of production and persuasion for affirmative defenses. Prepares students to structure defense arguments procedurally.

Lesson 3 • Justification Defenses

Covers self-defense, defense of others, defense of property, and necessity. Establishes that justified conduct is lawful, not merely excused.

Lesson 1 • Homicide Offenses

Distinguishes murder degrees, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, and felony murder. Demonstrates how mental state and circumstances determine the appropriate charge.

Lesson 2 • Sex Offenses and Domestic Violence

Examines rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence statutes including consent doctrine. Addresses evidentiary and charging considerations unique to these offenses.

Lesson 3 • Arson, Vandalism, and Computer Crimes

Covers destruction-of-property offenses and their digital equivalents. Extends the elemental framework to emerging categories of criminal conduct.

Lesson 4 • Assault, Battery, and Kidnapping

Covers the elements of assault, battery, and unlawful restraint offenses. Highlights aggravating factors that elevate charges to felony level.

Lesson 1 • Reasonable Expectation of Privacy

Introduces the Katz test and its application to physical and digital spaces. Establishes when the Fourth Amendment is triggered before analyzing specific searches.

Lesson 2 • Stop and Frisk and Terry Doctrine

Examines reasonable suspicion, investigative stops, and protective pat-downs. Connects street-level encounters to the broader Fourth Amendment framework.

Lesson 3 • Consent, Vehicle, and Inventory Searches

Analyzes voluntariness of consent, the automobile exception, and inventory search rules. Addresses common field scenarios where warrantless searches arise.

Lesson 4 • Exclusionary Rule and Good Faith

Covers the exclusionary rule, fruit of the poisonous tree, and the good faith exception. Teaches students to assess suppression remedies for constitutional violations.

Lesson 1 • Miranda Rights and Custodial Interrogation

Defines custody and interrogation triggering Miranda warnings and examines waiver standards. Addresses common suppression issues arising from Miranda violations.

Lesson 2 • Sixth Amendment Right to Counsel

Examines when the right to counsel attaches, the right to effective assistance, and waiver. Connects counsel rights to interrogation and critical stage analysis.

Lesson 3 • Privilege Against Self-Incrimination

Analyzes the scope of the Fifth Amendment privilege in custodial and non-custodial settings. Distinguishes testimonial from non-testimonial evidence for privilege purposes.

Lesson 1 • Bail, Pretrial Detention, and Discovery

Analyzes bail factors, preventive detention standards, and prosecution disclosure obligations. Prepares students to litigate pretrial release and discovery disputes.

Lesson 2 • Arrest, Booking, and Initial Appearance

Covers arrest authority, probable cause requirements, and the initial appearance before a magistrate. Establishes the procedural starting point for all subsequent stages.

Lesson 3 • Trial Rights and Verdict

Examines jury selection, the right to a public trial, burden of proof, and jury deliberation. Completes the procedural framework with post-verdict options.

Lesson 4 • Pretrial Motions and Plea Bargaining

Covers suppression motions, motions to dismiss, and the mechanics of plea agreements. Connects constitutional doctrine from prior chapters to pretrial litigation strategy.