What This Document Is
This document is a criminal law study guide, specifically an attack outline developed for a Criminal Law (CRM 100) course at Brooklyn Law School in Spring 2014. It focuses on the foundational “building blocks” of criminal law – legality and culpability – and provides a comparative overview of common law principles and the Model Penal Code (MPC) approach.
Why This Document Matters
This study guide is valuable for law students learning the core concepts of criminal law. It’s designed to be used during course review, exam preparation, and for quickly referencing key distinctions between traditional common law and the more modern MPC framework. It’s particularly useful for understanding the elements of a crime, actus reus, mens rea, and the nuances of legal duties and possession.
Common Limitations or Challenges
This outline is a condensed review and does *not* provide exhaustive coverage of every criminal law topic. It’s a starting point for deeper study and doesn’t include detailed case analysis beyond citations. It reflects the course materials as of Spring 2014 and may not incorporate subsequent legal developments. It also doesn’t offer practice questions or hypothetical scenarios.
What This Document Provides
This preview includes sections on:
* The requirements for legal definitions in criminal statutes (legality).
* The breakdown of criminal statutes into elements (conduct, attendant circumstances, result).
* The concept of *actus reus* and its requirements, including voluntariness and the MPC’s exceptions.
* Discussion of omissions as a basis for criminal liability and the sources of legal duty.
* An overview of possession as *actus reus*.
* A comparison of common law and MPC approaches to *mens rea*, including definitions of malice, knowledge, and willful blindness.
This preview *does not* include the full discussion of MPC *mens rea* standards, detailed case breakdowns, or sections on specific crimes. It also does not include any practice questions or exam tips.
