Popis: |
This textbook does not take the traditional approach to teaching law, even in a criminal justice program. Rather, the text takes a conversational approach and helps the reader engage in conversation about the junction of the U.S. Constitution and the criminal justice system. The book is presented in readable style, gets to the point, and covers significant material. The author explains what many constitutional provisions mean and provides examples, some actual and some hypothetical to illustrate principles, make the principles stick in the reader's memory, and make constitutional law more interesting. Many examples are presented as stories. The procession of chapters begins with an overview of the entire U.S. Constitution and also examines in-depth, provisions such as the Habeas Corpus Suspension Clause, the Ex Post Facto Clause, and the Second Amendment. Two chapters examine three provisions of the Fifth Amendment, while two subsequent chapters thoroughly review the Due Process Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, along with the Equal Protection Clause. Three chapters are devoted to examination of the Sixth Amendment, while four chapters tackle the Fourth Amendment. Chapter 13 examines the Exclusionary Rule, while several final chapters review the First and Eighth Amendments. The book's Appendix provides the complete U.S. Constitution for full reference. Non-law students do not need to master legal reasoning - the ability to analogize and extrapolate from precedents - to learn the law itself. And the time that criminal justice students often spend briefing cases - tediously extracting facts and principles - would be better spent learning the law itself, indeed the intent and design of this textbook. The author presents this exceptional book with a passion for helping the reader understand and embrace the intersection of the U.S. Constitution and the criminal justice system. |