E-Book Overview
Historically, prime-time television has devoted at least one-third of its programming to crime. The extreme popularity of crime shows continues unabated. From Law & Order to CSI, Americans are riveted by crime TV. Court TV and other cable channels produce true crime series, too, that take viewers through both current crimes and trials and cold cases. Yet, despite efforts in these shows to depict real investigative and legal techniques, chances are, viewers have questions about criminal procedure, legal issues, and related concerns. For instance, why do police get angry when a suspect just asks for a lawyer? Or, what's the difference between being an accomplice to a crime and being a conspirator? The Crime Junkie's Guide to Criminal Law is written specifically for the millions of crime junkies who make up the audiences for the variety of crime dramas, both real and fictional, that blaze across our screens night after night.The news media know that crime is inherently interesting because it involves things we all understand — like passion, greed, revenge and the urge to make very close friends in prison. Television broadcasts and major magazines drip with salacious details about the infamous evildoings of the moment. From the sports to the style sections, newspaper headlines scream out reports of the latest celebrity picked up for one transgression or another. This one-of-a-kind book is an indispensable guide to criminal law that uses actual trials alongside plots and characters from popular television shows to illustrate criminal law issues like degrees of murder, the defense of intoxication, search warrants, insanity pleas, and the purposes of various pretrial hearings. Silver offers a concise, informative, and entertaining explanation of everything readers need to know to truly appreciate crime stories (real and fictional) and understand how criminal law really works.
E-Book Content
The Crime Junkie’s Guide to Criminal Law The Crime Junkie’s Guide to Criminal Law From Law & Order to Laci Peterson Jim Silver Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Silver, Jim, 1963– The crime junkie’s guide to criminal law : from Law and order to Laci Peterson / Jim Silver. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN: 978–0–275–99414–3 (alk. paper) 1. Criminal law—United States—Popular works. 2. Criminal procedure—United States—Popular works. I. Title. KF9219.6.S55 2008 345.73—dc22 2007036173 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 2008 by Jim Silver All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2007036173 ISBN: 978–0–275–99414–3 First published in 2008 Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.praeger.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Julie Contents Preface ix Acknowledgments xi 1. Setting the Stage 1 2. Recipe for Crime 9 3. Homicide 18 4. Murder 21 5. Voluntary Manslaughter 30 6. Involuntary Manslaughter 35 7. Rape 40 8. Assault 46 9. Kidnapping 53 10. Acquisition Offenses 56 11. Burglary 64 12. Arson 68 13. Pe