Chapter Questions
What is the purpose of law? What would a society without laws be like?
What is the rule of law? What is its importance in Western democracies? What does it mean to say that "nobody is above the law"?
What types of law does this chapter discuss? What purpose does each serve?
What are the five categories of criminal law violations? Describe each, and rank the categories in terms of seriousness.
List and describe the eight general features of crime. What are the "three conjoined elements" that comprise the legal essence of the concept of crime?
What is meant by the corpus delicti of a crime? How does the corpus delicti of a crime differ from the statutory elements that must be proved to convict a particular defendant of committing that crime?
What four broad categories of criminal defenses does our legal system recognize? Under what circumstances might each be employed?