In addition to exposure to high-profile criminal trials through the media,
in today's society many Americans are increasingly experiencing the crimi-
nal law on a more personal level, either as direct participants (e.g., defen-
dants), through relatives or friends or from the unfortunate position of
victims. In many instances, it is likely that these encounters with the crimi-
nal law have been fraught with the type of fear and anxiety that is often asso-
ciated with journeys into the unknown. For criminal defendants, these
feelings are perhaps a natural result of the basic understanding that criminal
liability can and often does result in punishment. Moreover, depending
upon the particular crime and the level of punishment, there may also be a
severe societal stigma attached to a criminal conviction. From a victim's
perspective, however, much of the fear and anxiety may result from the
complexity and confusion that often surrounds the criminal process. In
most criminal trials, the defendant is a passive participant while lawyers ar-
gue about such things as "mental states," "burden of proof" and "first degree
versus second degree." These terms typically have very little or no meaning
to a victim who has been injured or lost a loved one and simply wants to en-
sure that justice is done.

This book is intended to explain the origin and substance of American
criminal law. What is unique about this book is that it explains the criminal
law in terms understandable to the layperson who is interested in demysti-
fying the criminal law without wading through legal jargon. Thus, this book
will be of particular interest to those who follow local or national criminal
proceedings, whether for personal, educational or professional reasons.
Additionally, anyone who has had firsthand involvement in the criminal
process will find this book useful for explaining some of the confusing
terms and processes that are an inevitable part of our complex criminal jus-
tice system. Although this book is not intended to serve as a substitute for
the advice of a competent attorney, it can provide supplementary informa-
tion to assist in gaining a basic understanding of criminal law and the crimi-
nal trial process.

The book begins with an explanation of the origins of criminal law to
provide readers with an awareness and understanding of the historical de-
velopment of criminal statutes. Next, some of the fundamental concepts of
criminal law are explained in detail, since those concepts form the founda-
tion upon which most criminal statutes are constructed. The book then ex-
plores different categories of specific criminal offenses, beginning with
homicide, and also examines some of the more popular criminal law de-
fenses. A chapter is also devoted to an explanation of the criminal trial pro-
cess from arrest through the final verdict, to acquaint readers with some of

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