Suitable for a first-year course in the American law school curriculum, this book examines the core doctrines of the criminal law, including its ‘general part’ consisting of the justifications of punishment, the requirements of criminality, the criminal defenses, inchoate crime, and vicarious liability. It also examines a small portion of the criminal law’s ‘special part’ via criminal homicide and the crime of theft. American criminal law is a complicated subject that has evolved from the common law to statutes in a non-uniform and often messy manner, but the issues addressed are some of the most fundamental in any civilized society. Our government inflicts—in our name—pain, stigma, and even death. This book will equip you to understand the substance, though not the procedure, of these decisions.