TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface xxi Acknowledgments Note to Students xxv xxvii C H A P T E R 1 Introduction to Criminal Law The Primary Features of American Criminal Law 2 Important American Criminal Law Milestones 3 The Common Law Tradition 3 The State Penal Code Movement 5 The Model Penal Code 6 Modern Criminal Statutes 7 Hate Crimes 7 Computer Crimes 8 Identity Theft 8 Federal Prosecutions and the Common Law: United States v. Hudson and Goodwin 8 The Sorry State of the Federal Criminal Code 8 Lawmaking in America 10 The Federal Form of Government 10 The Police Power of the States 11 The Source of the Federal Government s Lawmaking Power 11 Federal and State Jurisdiction Can Overlap 12 The Supremacy Clause and the Tenth Amendment 14 Reading, Briefing, and Understanding the First Case 15 State v. Isaac E. Carson 16 xi
xii Table of Contents Deciding What Conduct Is Deemed Criminal 19 Civil and Criminal Law 20 Some Interesting Differences Between Civil Law and Criminal Law 20 Katko v. Briney 22 Classification of Offenses Felonies and Misdemeanors 25 Federal Criminal Law 25 A Brief Overview of Federal Substantive Criminal Law 27 Direct Federal Interests 27 Indirect Federal Interests 27 The Purposes of Punishment 28 Retribution 29 Gregg v. Georgia 29 General and Specific Deterrence 30 Incapacitation 30 Rehabilitation 31 Procedural Stages of a Criminal Trial 31 Chapter Summary 31 Discussion Questions 33 C H A P T E R 2 Constitutional Limitations on the Definition and Punishment of Criminal Offenses Prohibitions Against Bills of Attainder and Ex Post Facto Laws 38 Due Process Limitations 40 Substantive Due Process 41 Precision 41 Vagueness 41 Clay Parker v. State of California 42 Overbreadth 47
Table of Contents xiii The Right to Privacy 48 Griswold v. Connecticut 49 Criminalizing Conduct Deemed Immoral 52 Lawrence v. Texas 52 Procedural Due Process 61 Jason C. Smith v. State of Idaho 62 Equal Protection Limitations 67 Loving v. Commonwealth of Virginia 69 Cruel and Unusual Punishment 72 Barbaric Punishments 72 Gregg v. Georgia 73 Disproportionate Punishments 77 Nomenclature Tips 77 Miller v. Alabama 78 Chapter Summary 88 Discussion Questions 91 C H A P T E R 3 General Principles of Criminal Liability The Criminal Act/Actus Reus 96 Criminal Act or Status? 96 Robinson v. California 97 Voluntariness 101 Farmer v. State of Texas 102 Criminal Liability in the Absence of an Act (Omissions) 108 State v. Neumann 109 Is Possession an Act? 119 Byrd v. Texas 120 Presumptions and Actus Reus 122 Ulster County Court v. Allen 124
xiv Table of Contents Double Jeopardy Considerations 128 Brown v. Ohio 129 Criminal Intent/Mens Rea 132 Traditional Categories of Criminal Intent 134 Mala in Se Offenses 135 Mala Prohibita Offenses 135 Defining Criminal Intent 135 The Traditional Common Law Approach 135 State v. Gordon 136 The Doctrine of Transferred Intent 140 People v. Scott 140 The Model Penal Code Approach 145 Furr v. State 147 Presumptions and Criminal Intent 149 Sandstrom v. Montana 149 Concurrence 153 Strict Liability 154 State v. Rohan 155 Causation 159 Factual Causation 159 Proximate Causation 160 Commonwealth v. Berggren 160 Independent, Intervening Cause 161 People v. Saavedra-Rodriguez 162 Chapter Summary 167 Discussion Questions 170 C H A P T E R 4 Complicity and Vicarious Liability Complicity 173 Complicity Under the Common Law 174 People v. Norris 174
Table of Contents xv Proving Complicity 177 State v. Mobbley 178 People v. Taylor 182 Vicarious Liability 187 State v. Arkell 188 Parental Liability for Failure to Supervise a Child 193 State v. Akers 195 Can a Corporation Be Convicted of a Crime? 198 Vaughan and Sons, Inc. v. State 199 United States v. Ionia Management 204 Chapter Summary 208 Discussion Questions 209 C H A P T E R 5 Criminal Defenses Affirmative Defenses 214 Justification Defenses 215 Introduction to Self-Defense and Defense of Others 215 Self-Defense, the Use of Force, and the Retreat Doctrine 215 Non-Deadly Force 216 Deadly Force 216 Make My Day Laws and the Defense of Property and Habitation 216 People v. Phillips 217 Stand Your Ground Laws 224 Gabriel Mobley v. State of Florida 226 Defense of Others 230 Colorado v. Steven Silva 231 Defense of Property and Habitation 236 Necessity (Choice of Evils) 236 Steven McCullough v. State of Indiana 237 Excuse Defenses 240
xvi Table of Contents Duress 240 State v. Dow 240 Child s Minority 243 Intoxication 243 State of Hawaii v. Tony Souza 244 Insanity 246 State of Colorado v. Robin V. Tally 248 State of Rhode Island v. David Barrett 250 Mistake of Fact 256 Joseph W. Marquardt Jr. v. State of Maryland 257 Mistake of Law 261 Kipp v. State of Delaware 262 Entrapment 266 Wisconsin v. James L. Schuman 266 Other Defenses 270 Alibi 271 Anderson Brown v. State of Delaware 271 Good Character Defense 276 Mark J. Manna v. State of Delaware 277 Chapter Summary 280 Discussion Questions 281 C H A P T E R 6 Crimes Against Persons Homicide 284 First-Degree Murder 285 Hawaii 286 Virginia 286 Nebraska 288 State v. Roy J. Townsend 289 Second-Degree Murder 292 State of Nebraska v. Tyler J. Keup 293
Table of Contents xvii Felony Murder 297 Ser James Davis v. The Honorable Fred L. Fox, II 298 Manslaughter 303 Voluntary Manslaughter 303 State v. Adrian Tarel Epps 304 Involuntary Manslaughter 309 State v. Kenneth W. Wood 310 Negligent Manslaughter 313 In re Robbery 314 Traditional Crimes of Assault and Battery 314 Battery 314 Timothy Lee Hobbs v. State 315 Assault 318 Contemporary Assault Statutes 318 Hopkins v. The State 319 Rape and Sexual Assault 323 State v. Douglas Goodwin 326 Rape Shield Laws 328 State v. Stephen F. 329 Statutory Rape 335 Kidnapping and False Imprisonment 335 State of Wisconsin v. Jesse Becerra 336 Custodial Interference Statutes 342 Chapter Summary 342 Discussion Questions 344 C H A P T E R 7 Crimes Against Property and Habitation Larceny 350 Jack E.Carter v. Commonwealth of Virginia 351
xviii Table of Contents Embezzlement 357 Maine v. John R. Moon 358 Larceny by False Pretenses (Theft by Deceit) 362 Darrell S. Lewis v. Virginia 363 Consolidated Theft 366 Utah v. John J. Bush 366 Identity Theft 370 State v. Michael Woodfall 372 Robbery 377 Tennessee v. David L. Owens 378 Extortion/Blackmail 383 United States v. Charles G. Stephens, Sr. 384 Forgery 390 Bobby Charles Carr v. State of Florida 391 Burglary, Arson, and Trespass to Land/Dwellings 393 Burglary 393 State v. David A. Newton 394 Arson 398 State v. Harry W. Lollis 399 Trespass to Land/Dwellings 403 State of Montana v. Joe Trujillo 403 Chapter Summary 407 Discussion Questions 410 C H A P T E R 8 Inchoate Crimes and Derivative Crime Solicitation 416 Actus Reus 417 Mens Rea 417 State of Washington v. William F. Jensen 417
Table of Contents xix Attempt 422 Actus Reus 422 Tommy Carlton v. State of Florida 423 Mens Rea 426 State v. Frank Reed Nordlund 426 Conspiracy 429 Actus Reus 429 Mens Rea 430 State v. Jerome Leggett 431 The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act A Derivative Crime 435 United States v. Tracy Harris 436 Chapter Summary 444 Discussion Questions 445 Appendix A: Reading and Understanding the Lopez Case 447 Appendix B: Procedural Considerations 453 Glossary 459 Table of Cases 469 Index 473