Criminal Law: Text and materials

This text approaches the study of criminal law by explaining and evaluating the main rules by reference to the objectives of our society, rather than by merely analyzing the rules themselves. The text has been expanded and has two major innovations. A new chapter on property offences has been added and the main property offences such as theft and deception have been subjected to analysis and examined in a criminological and philosophical context. Second, a wide range of materials beyond the strict confines of English law have been included - from the fields of philosophy, criminology and penology; all the specific offences are introduced in such a context. Key changes in criminal law are discussed, including the radical transformation of the meaning of intention and the "mens rea" of murder with the important House of Lords decisions of Moloney and Hancock, followed by the Court of Appeal decisions of Nedrick and Walker. Following the form of a textbook, but, where appropriate, exposing the reader to original materials, this book is aimed primarily at the law student following a degree level criminal law course but may also be of interest and use to postgraduate students and students of criminal justice and other related areas.