Cases and Materials on Criminal Law,(American Casebook Series) (American Casebook) |  | Author: Joshua Dressler
Publisher: West
List Price: $146.00
Buy Used: $64.00
You Save: $82.00 (56%)
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Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 2846
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 4
Pages: 1044
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.4
Dimensions (in): 10.1 x 7.7 x 1.9
ISBN: 0314177191
Dewey Decimal Number: 345
EAN: 9780314177193
ASIN: 0314177191
Publication Date: February 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
 Not one of my favorite law books June 14, 1999
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
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".
Useless waste of time, money, and effort August 11, 2006
J. Ocampo (New York)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
It is a shame that professors force their students to shell out big bucks to buy casebooks that don't help.
Even if you scored high on your LSAT and you have great reading comprehension, you will spend hours deciphering Dressler's philisophical babble. And when you finish your reading, you will realize that you retained little or nothing.
This is because Dressler does not clearly state the important concepts and conflicts of Criminal Law. He circumvents the important information that Criminal Law students need to know, and can only help to learn this information through inference. It's a glorified and expensive game of "hide the ball."
The overwhelming majority of students are confused by the book and the more successful students are those who avoid it entirely.
If you are forced to buy this book, I recommend reading only what is necessary to get by in class and learn Criminal Law through a hornbook, outline, or other method.
This criminal law casebook is straight-forward but lacking. July 29, 1998
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
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.
Awful January 4, 2003
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a terrible book, but unfortunately you probably won't have much choice in whether or not to use it if it is required for your course. I agree with the other reviewer that the companion softbound supplement is far more useful in understanding the concepts presented. If you can find that or the Bar review multistate materials, you'll learn far more of the structure of criminal law than you will from this book. This is a philosophy text.If Dressler spent half as much time explaining topics as he does making snide political comments, this book would be far superior. Luckily, Criminal Law is just one semester and the Bar review materials generally make up for the many shortcomings of this ridiculous text.
 Buy a companion guide! January 13, 2006
N. Halvorson (Gonzaga)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The text is not a good tool for 1Ls to learn crim law by itself. Most of my classmates and I found the text to be poorly organized and written - especially for those just trying to grasp the intricacies of crim law. Probably a better book for studying statutory interpretation or philosophy of crim law. Prepare to become intimate with the MPC if you are assigned this text. I highly recomend a companion book for the text, one keyed to it such as Blackletter outline by Dressler or the Understanding Crim Law companion by Dressler. I used both and they saved me from utter confusion.
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