Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure
Treatises, Hornbooks, and Other Resources
Model Penal Code and Commentaries
Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
Current Awareness Resources
Journals
Statistics
Government Reports and Research Institute Reports
Websites
Research Guides and Tutorials
Law School Programs
Treatises, Hornbooks, and Other Resources
Model Penal Code and Commentaries
The Model Penal Code is a proposed criminal code drafted by the American Law Institute and used as the basis for criminal law revision by many states.
Print: XXKF9219.A74, D'Angelo Law Library, Reserve Room & Bookstacks
LexisNexis: MODPEN
Westlaw: ULA-MPC
Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure are "rules of general applicability that apply in criminal matters heard in all United States District Courts. Each U.S. District Court also has its own local rules, which supplement the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure."
Print: XXKF62 2000.A2, D'Angelo Law Library, Reading Room & Bookstacks (appendix to Title 18 of the United States Code)
Print: XXKF65.W48, D'Angelo Law Library, Reading Room (U.S.C.A.)
Print: XXKF65.L39, D'Angelo Law Library, Reading Room (U.S.C.S.)
LexisNexis: FRCRP (provides expert commentary from the National Institute for Trial Advocacy)
Westlaw: US-RULES (open Table of Contents and limit searches to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure)
For state criminal codes and criminal procedure laws, consult the Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute.
Current Awareness Resources
BNA Reporters
- Criminal Law Reporter (BNA) - Published weekly, reports significant developments, trends, and emerging patterns in criminal law.
- White Collar Crime Reporter (BNA) - Published biweekly, reports legal developments affecting the prosecution and defense of fraud and other white collar crimes.
Blogs
Journals
Law Journals
To find other law journals, search the Library Catalog, Lens, or the Library's E-journals list.
Non-Law Journals
- Social Sciences Index (1983- ) - Indexes articles in all areas of the social sciences, from 350 English-language journals. Covers anthropology, ethnic studies, economics, environment, geography, health, law and criminology, public administration, political science, psychology, sociology, urban studies and women's studies.
- Academic Search Complete (1980s- ) - Provides full text for 3,467 publications covering academic areas of study including social sciences, humanities, education, and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies. A total of 4,425 titles are abstracted and indexed, of which 2,591 are peer-reviewed.
Statistics
- Bureau of Justice Statistics
- United States Sentencing Commission Research and Statistics - includes annual reports, sourcebooks, and federal sentencing statistics by state, district, and circuit
- Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics (31st Edition, 2003) - "brings together data from more than 100 sources about many aspects of criminal justice in the United States."
Print: HV6787.S7, Regenstein Library, Bookstacks (1973, 1978-2003) & D'Angelo Law Library, Bookstacks (1994-2003)
Online: Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online
- National Archive of Criminal Justice Data - The mission of the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) is "to facilitate research in criminal justice and criminology, through the preservation, enhancement, and sharing of computerized data resources; through the production of original research based on archived data; and through specialized training workshops in quantitative analysis of crime and justice data."
- Court Statistics Project - from the National Center for State Courts; collects and analyzes data relating to the work of our nation's state courts, including statistics on criminal filings and caseloads.
- Tracfed - Coverage includes all criminal matters recommended for prosecution in the federal courts
Government and Research Institute Reports
Government Reports
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service - "a federally funded resource offering justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide."
- General Accountability Office (GAO) Reports (1995- ) - "GAO is known as 'the investigative arm of Congress' and 'the congressional watchdog.' GAO supports the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and helps improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people." Most GAO reports are done at the request of members of Congress.
- Congressional Research Service Reports (CRS Reports) - The Congressional Research Service is the research arm of the Library of Congress and provides reports to members of Congress on a variety of topics relevant to current political events. The reports are not readily accessible to the research community, but a few websites have been collecting them and making them accessible:
- Open CRS
- CRS Reports - online collection created by the Thurgood Marshall Library, University of Maryland
- CRS Reports - online collection created by the University of North Texas Library
- The Library has some CRS Reports in print. Search the catalog by author: Library of Congress Congressional Research Service.
- There's also an index: A Guide to Major Studies and Issue Briefs of the Congressional Research Service (Call No.: Z1223.A1 G81, Regenstein Library, 1st Floor Reference Collection), which covers from 1916-1974.
Research Institute Reports
- PAIS International (1972-) - Indexes public policy and public affairs literature.
- CQ Researcher - Publishes weekly 12,000-word reports on various issues, including CQ Researcher is often the first source that librarians recommend when researchers are seeking original, comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news. Founded in 1923 as Editorial Research Reports, CQ Researchercriminal justice. "The consistent, reader-friendly organization provides researchers with an introductory overview; background and chronology on the topic; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources."
Websites
Government Websites
- United States Attorneys' Manual - "a quick and ready reference for United States Attorneys, Assistant United States Attorneys, and Department attorneys responsible for the prosecution of violations of federal law. It contains general policies and some procedures relevant to the work of the United States Attorneys' offices and to their relations with the legal divisions, investigative agencies, and other components within the Department of Justice."
- United States Sentencing Commission - provides access to publications such as the Federal Sentencing Guidelines Manuals, Federal Sentencing Statistics by State, District, and Circuit, Research Products and Special Projects.
- Department of Justice, Criminal Division
- Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- United States Marshals Service
For a more complete list of federal criminal justice agencies, please consult the list of Federal Criminal Justice Agencies from the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University.
Other Websites
- Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement (Cato Institute) - provides access to reports, analyses and comments written by Cato's legal scholars covering topics such as 4th Amendment (search and seizure), criminal procedure, federal sentencing guidelines, prosecutorial abuses, etc.
- Criminal Law (Wex, Part of Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute)
- Criminal Procedure (Wex, Part of Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute)
- Penal Law: A Web Markus Dirk Dubber, Buffalo Criminal Law Center) - currently covers only substantive criminal law. "An integrated systematic collection of materials on American and foreign penal law, including annotated and unannotated penal codes, 300+court opinions, commentary, and the Penal Code Comparer.
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service - "a federally funded resource offering justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide."
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Criminal Justice
- The Center on Juvenile & Criminal Justice
- National District Attorneys Association
Research Guides and Tutorials
Law School Programs
