Illinois Criminal Law Student Edition

This softbound volume (updated from the last edition in 2006) is the student edition of Illinois Criminal Law: A Survey of Crimes and Defenses, recognized as the definitive examination of Illinois substantive criminal law. It presents a description of all major Illinois crimes and defenses, including pertinent statutory language, legislative history, and substantial case law interpretation of these legal measures. The important common law background of various crimes and defenses is also included. Legal concepts relatively unique to Illinois are carefully explored, including doctrines such as the "one-act, one-crime" rule, and criminal offenses such as armed violence, home invasion, and street gang criminal drug conspiracy. This unique book allows students to study the criminal law and systematic penal code of a particular state, and to observe how the various features of the code interact and complement each other.

This new edition includes the important changes made to the Illinois Criminal Code proposed by the Criminal Law Edit, Alignment and Reform (CLEAR) Initiative, virtually all of which were unanimously approved by the Illinois General Assembly and which make major changes to the Code. Professor Decker served as Special Advisor to the CLEAR Commission and is well-suited to provide readers with insight into these legislative reforms.