The crime junkie's guide to criminal law: from Law and order to Laci Peterson

Historically, prime-time television has devoted at least one-third of its programming to crime. The extreme popularity of crime shows continues unabated. From Law & Order to CSI, Americans are riveted by crime TV. Court TV and other cable channels produce true crime series, too, that take viewers through both current crimes and trials and cold cases. Yet, despite efforts in these shows to depict real investigative and legal techniques, chances are, viewers have questions about criminal procedure, legal issues, and related concerns. For instance, why do police get angry when a suspect just asks for a lawyer? Or, what's the difference between being an accomplice to a crime and being a conspirator? The Crime Junkie's Guide to Criminal Law is written specifically for the millions of crime junkies who make up the audiences for the variety of crime dramas, both real and fictional, that blaze across our screens night after night.The news media know that crime is inherently interesting because it involves things we all understand — like passion, greed, revenge and the urge to make very close friends in prison. Television broadcasts and major magazines drip with salacious details about the infamous evildoings of the moment. From the sports to the style sections, newspaper headlines scream out reports of the latest celebrity picked up for one transgression or another. This one-of-a-kind book is an indispensable guide to criminal law that uses actual trials alongside plots and characters from popular television shows to illustrate criminal law issues like degrees of murder, the defense of intoxication, search warrants, insanity pleas, and the purposes of various pretrial hearings. Silver offers a concise, informative, and entertaining explanation of everything readers need to know to truly appreciate crime stories (real and fictional) and understand how criminal law really works. Historically, prime-time television has devoted at least one-third of its programming to crime. The extreme popularity of crime shows continues unabated. From "Law & Order" to "CSI," Americans are riveted by crime TV. Court TV and other cable channels produce true crime series, too, that take viewers through both current crimes and trials and cold cases. Yet, despite efforts in these shows to depict real investigative and legal techniques, chances are, viewers have questions about criminal procedure, legal issues, and related concerns. For instance, why do police get angry when a suspect just asks for a lawyer? Or, what's the difference between being an accomplice to a crime and being a conspirator? "The Crime Junkie's Guide to Criminal LaW" is written specifically for the millions of crime junkies who make up the audiences for the variety of crime dramas, both real and fictional, that blaze across our screens night after night. The news media know that crime is inherently interesting because it involves things we all understand -- like passion, greed, revenge and the urge to make very close friends in prison. Television broadcasts and major magazines drip with salacious details about the infamous evildoings of the moment. From the sports to the style sections, newspaper headlines scream out reports of the latest celebrity picked up for one transgression or another. This one-of-a-kind book is an indispensable guide to criminal law that uses actual trials alongside plots and characters from popular television shows to illustrate criminal law issues like degrees of murder, the defense of intoxication, search warrants, insanity pleas, and the purposes of various pretrial hearings. Silver offers a concise, informative, and entertaining explanation of everything readers need to know to truly appreciate crime stories (real and fictional) and understand how criminal law really works. 9780275994143 Contents 8 Preface 10 Acknowledgments 12 1. Setting the Stage 14 2. Recipe for Crime 22 3. Homicide 31 4. Murder 34 5. Voluntary Manslaughter 43 6. Involuntary Manslaughter 48 7. Rape 53 8. Assault 59 9. Kidnapping 66 10. Acquisition Offenses 69 11. Burglary 77 12. Arson 81 13. Perjury 84 14. Solicitation 86 15. Conspiracy 89 16. Attempt 99 17. Accomplice Liability 105 18. Justification 111 19. Necessity and Duress 121 20. Entrapment 125 21. Intoxication 128 22. Insanity 131 23. The Exclusionary Rule 137 24. The Fourth Amendment: Arrests 143 25. The Fourth Amendment: Search and Seizure 149 26. Self-Incrimination 160 27. Pretrial Proceedings 170 28. Trial 176 29. Right to Counsel 183 30. Guilty Pleas 187 31. Sentencing 193 32. Double Jeopardy 198 Index 202 #,Publisher:,Praeger,Publishers,#,Number,Of,Pages:,216,#,Publication,Date:,2007-12-30,#,ISBN-10,/,ASIN:,0275994147 #,Publisher:,Praeger Publishers,# Number Of Pages:,216,# Publication Date:,2007-12-30,# ISBN-10 / ASIN:,0275994147 This volume was written with the intent of being a field guide to the legal concepts indigenous to crime dramas and Court TV. It is written specifically for the millions of crime junkies who make up the audiences for the variety of crime dramas that blaze across our screens night after night. This book is a guide to criminal law that uses actual trials alongside plots and characters from popular television shows to illustrate criminal law issues like degrees of murder, the defense of intoxication, search warrants, insanity pleas, and the purposes of various pretrial hearings. The author offers a concise, informative, and entertaining explanation of everything readers need to know to truly appreciate crime stories (real and fictional) and understand how criminal law really works