Mike Shecket's Notes on Dressler’s Cases and
Materials on Criminal Law[1]
Chapter 1. Introduction:
Setting the Stage
A.
Nature,
Sources, and Limits of the Criminal Law
B.
Criminal
Law in a Procedural Context: Pre-Trial
C.
Criminal
Law in a Procedural Context: Trial by Jury
1.
“Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt”
2.
Enforcing the Presumption of Innocence (including Owens v.
State)
E.
Jury
Nullification (including State v.
Ragland)
Chapter 2. Principles of Punishment
B.
The
Penal Theories in Action
C.
Proportionality of Punishment
Chapter 3. Modern Role of Criminal Statutes
B.
Statutory Interpretation
Chapter 4.
Actus Reus
Introductory
Comment: Defining “Actus Reus”
A.
Voluntary
Act (including Martin v.
State and State v.
Utter)
B.
Omissions
(“Negative Acts”) (including People
v. Beardsley)
C.
Social Harm
Chapter 5. Mens
Rea
A.
Nature
of “Mens Rea” (including United
States v. Cordoba-Hincapie and Regina
v. Cunningham)
B.
General
Issues in Proving Culpability (including People v.
Conley)
C.
Strict Liability
Offenses
Chapter 6. Causation
A.
Introduction
(including Velazquez
v. State)
B.
Actual Cause
(Cause-in-Fact) (including Oxendine
v. State)
C.
Proximate
Cause (“Legal” Cause)
Chapter
7. Criminal Homicide
A.
Overview
C.
Unintentional
Killings: Unjustified Risk-Taking
D.
Unintentional
Killings: Unlawful Conduct
1.
The Felony-Murder
Rule
Chapter 8. Rape
B.
Actus Reus
C.
Mens Rea
(including Commonwealth
v. Sherry)
D.
Proving Rape
2.
Cautionary Jury
Instructions (and Other Procedural Matters)
E.
Statutory Rape
Chapter 9. General Defenses to Crimes
A.
Categories of
Defenses
B.
Burden of Proof
C.
Principles of
Justification
1.
Structure of
Justification Defenses
2.
Self-Defense
3.
Defense of Others
4.
Defense of
Property/Habitation and Law Enforcement Defenses
5.
Necessity
(“Choice of Evils”)
D.
Principles of
Excuse
1.
Why Do We Excuse
Wrongdoers?
2.
Duress
3.
Intoxication
4.
Insanity
5.
Diminished
Capacity
6.
Infancy
E.
New Defenses?
1.
Addiction/Alcoholism
Defense
2.
“Rotten
Social Background” (RSB) Defense
Chapter 10. Inchoate Offenses
A.
Overview
B.
Attempt
1.
General
Principles
2.
Grading Criminal
Attempts
3.
Mens Rea
4.
Actus Reus
a.
General
Principles
b.
Distinguishing
Preparation from Perpetration: The Tests at Work
c.
Punishing
Pre-Attempt Conduct
5.
Special Defenses
a.
Impossibility
b.
Abandonment
C.
Assault
D.
Solicitation
E.
Conspiracy
2.
Criticisms of the
Offense of Conspiracy
3.
Mens Rea
a.
General
Principles
b.
Intent: “Purpose”
or “Knowledge”? (including People v.
Lauria)
c.
Attendant
Circumstances
4.
Actus Reus
5.
Conspiracy:
Bilateral or Unilateral?
6.
Scope of an
Agreement: Party and Object Dimensions
7.
Defenses
8.
RICO: The
Sprawling Son-of-Conspiracy Statute
Chapter 11. Liability
for the Conduct of Another
A.
Accomplice
Liability
1.
General
Principles
a.
Common Law
Terminology and Its Significance
b.
Theoretical
Foundation: Derivative Liability
2.
“Elements” of
Accomplice Liability: In General (including State v.
Hoselton)
3.
Mens Rea
a.
Intent: “Purpose”
or “Knowledge”?
b.
When Is “Intent”
Not Required?
i.
Offenses Not
Requiring Intent (including State v.
Foster)
ii.
Natural-and-Probable-Consequences
Doctrine (including State v.
Linscott)
iii.
Attendant
Circumstances
4.
Actus Reus
5.
Distinguishing
Direct from Accomplice Liability (including Bailey
v. Commonwealth)
B.
Vicarious
Liability
C.
Corporate
Liability