NCJ Number
110307
Date Published
1986
Length
145 pages
Annotation
After providing an overview of the nature of criminal acts, this primer summarizes common law and State law in the areas of crimes against the person, property offenses, habitation offenses, criminal procedure, and capital punishment, concluding with a review of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
Abstract
Among the offenses against the person reviewed are homicide, murder, felony murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter, negligent homicide, justifiable and excusable homicide, criminal responsibility, assault and battery, aggravated assault, mayhem, rape, and kidnapping. Property offenses encompass theft and larceny, degrees of larceny, false pretenses, embezzlement, forgery, counterfeiting, receiving stolen property, and robbery. Habitation offenses include burglary and arson. The discussion of criminal procedure focuses on the police role, booking, bail or detention, and the prosecutor's role. Appendixes provide information on the status of death penalty statutes by jurisdiction as of January 1, 1985; selected State capital punishment provisions; and selected State definitions and penalties.