Abstract
High-profile criminal trials have placed criminal law in the national spotlight. While these trials may contain straightforward factual circumstances, often the legal issues surrounding the criminal charges and defenses are complex and confusing. This book explains the basics of criminal law in an easy-to-understand format designed especially for the nonlawyer who has an interest in criminal law. The book approaches criminal law by discussing basic crimes and their elements to help readers understand the necessary requirements for charging and prosecuting crimes. To aid in understanding many of the concepts, the book includes numerous hypothetical situations that place some of the more difficult concepts in an everyday context, thereby making them more understandable. Criminal law defenses are also explored, in order to give readers an awareness of how and why some of the more popular defenses are presented in the criminal justice system. The book also provides an overview of the criminal trial process, from the arrest to the final verdict.