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Bora Laskin Law Library

Criminal Law & Procedure

Criminal law defines certain acts or omissions deemed illegal by the legislature. Criminal law offences range from "traditional" crimes such as murder, assault, robbery and theft, to newer crimes such as driving with a blood alcohol level "over 80."

Criminal Procedure: An Overview In Canada, criminal law is enacted by the federal Parliament. Criminal procedure in Canada is concerned with criminal proceedings in the criminal courts and such matters as conduct within the courtroom, competency of witnesses, oaths and affirmations, and presentation of evidence. In a narrow sense, criminal procedure covers pleading, evidence, and practice. In a broader sense, it encompasses rules in the Criminal Code which deal with police powers, right to counsel, search warrants, interim release, witnesses, etc.

In the United States, most criminal law is set by the individual states, although the Federal government has adopted its own criminal code in Title 18 which deals with activities that extend beyond state boundaries or have special impact on Federal government operations. Criminal procedure in the United States consists of the law governing the series of proceedings through which the substantive criminal law is enforced. Procedure in criminal trials in federal courts is outlined in Title 18. Statutes set the framework for criminal procedure in the states, subject to certain constitutional limits.

Canada

Canadian Internet Law Resource Page : Criminal

Maintained by Professor Michael Geist of the University of Ottawa Law School, this site provides a coverage of criminal law related to information technology in Canada. Includes the text of articles, recent selected case law, conference papers, Canada Criminal Code, and policy papers. Provides a link to 'Technological Criminal Bulletin' published by the RCMP. Note: hasn't been updated since 2001.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

National Parole Board

The agency, as part of the criminal justice system, makes independent, quality conditional release and pardon decisions and clemency recommendations. Contains the mission of the National Parole Board, relevant legislation as well links to other criminal justice sites, fact sheets and publications.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

The Criminal Lawyers' Association

Contains Ontario Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Canada and Charter of Rights decisions. Provides links to e-mail groups, the Ontario Legislature and the federal Parliament.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

Duhaime's Criminal Law Centre

This is an excellent site for Canadian criminal law. Part I contains criminal law articles; part II deals with Federal criminal law (including the Criminal Code); and Part III provides provincial legislation and other resources.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

Great Britain

Centre for Criminal Justice Studies

From the University of Leeds this site provides links to criminal justice sites related to the United Kingdom as well as selective resources relating to continental Europe, North America, and the rest of the world. Contains the latest updates to all the collections and resources.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

The Criminal Justice System (CJS) in England and Wales

Comprised of the crime related work of various criminal justice departments, and the agencies and services they oversee.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

United States

Criminal law

Includes links to State Criminal Codes. The American Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section includes a useful selection of crime and law enforcement links. Provides an extensive collection of documents and links to crime and social deviance, sociology of crime, criminal law, criminal law and evidence, including Criminal Justice Policy Foundation and 'Criminal Justice Resources on the Web'from Cecil Greek.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

Criminal Justice Resource Links (University of South Carolina College of Arts and Science: Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice)

This site, with its primary focus on the U.S., provides extensive links to a variety of criminal justice related topics such as law enforcement agencies, corrections, juvenile justice, victimology and crime prevention, domestic violence, drug abuse, etc. Includes criminal justice research materials and data sets as well as useful search engines.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

Criminal Justice Links (Florida State University)

This is an outstanding site, full of statistics, photos and all sorts of crime-related information, including federal/international criminal justice agencies, juvenile delinquency, prisons, death penalty, forensic photos/medical illustrators, art crime, criminal justice in the media, civil rights, due process and the courts, and criminal justice education.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

JURIST: The Law Professors' Network Criminal Law Subject Guide

The site, directed by Bernard Hibbitts of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, collects a wealth of links to home pages, online articles, and other resources created by legal academics. The Criminal Law Page provides links to course home pages, articles, conference announcements, and a variety of other useful sites. Mostly American information.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

Penal Law : a Web

This page, compiled by Professor Markus Dirk Dubber, Buffalo Criminal Law Center, State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Law, is an excellent starting point for researching U.S. criminal law and procedure.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

Vera Institute of Justice System Links

Maintained by the Vera Institute, this site contains a list of criminal justice sites that are updated regularly. Includes links to resources dealing with the crime and criminal justice system of the United States. Contains a diverse list of governmental, nongovernmental and legal sites that collect and analyze data and present important new research.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

The National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information

This database, with its primary focus on the United States, is a national resource for information pertaining to the prevention, identification, treatment of child abuse and neglect, and related child welfare issues.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

The National Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts Database (NCJRS)

This database contains summaries of more than 140,000 publications on criminal justice, including federal, state, and local government reports, journal articles, and unpublished research. The period coverage is from the early 1970's to the present. Discusses such topics as corrections, courts, drugs and crime, law enforcement, juvenile justice, crime statistics, victims of crime, etc.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

The Prison Activist Resource Center (PARC)

This site, dedicated to progressive and radical information on prisons and the criminal prosecution system, focuses on prison issues, statistics, discussion, and background on the prison crisis, political prisoners, women prisoners, death penalty, and control units. Provides links to sites on prisoner support, prison law, and prison activism. 'Prison News' contains archived news on prisons and prisoners from the PrisonAct email-list. The section 'Activist / Advocacy Groups' provides information on Organizations which focus on prison reform/abolition, prisoner support, and alternatives to incarceration.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

National Archive of Criminal Justice Data

This resource for U.S. (Federal and state) criminal justice provides over 550 up-to-date criminal justice data collections. As a branch of the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), the site serves as the information clearinghouse for all bureaus of the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs by preserving and distributing computerized crime and justice data.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

The Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online

This is the online version of the United States Dept. of Justice Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics (28th ed., 2000). The Sourcebook is divided into six sections, including criminal justice agencies (data on numbers of personnel, expenditures, state information); opinion polls on topics such as crime, gun control, the death penalty, and the (de)criminalization of abortion and homosexuality; and statistics on victimization, drug use, other illegal activities, offenses reported, persons arrested, cases cleared, defendants processed, and "persons under correctional supervision," including parolees and juveniles.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

The Federal Justice Statistics Resource Center (FJSRC)

Maintains the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP) database. Contains information about suspects and defendants processed in the Federal criminal justice system. This well-maintained site includes a data dictionary, which describes each element in the FJSP database as well as a powerful search engine to find data about specific events and outcomes. There are several pages devoted to the FJS Program, including extensive documentation of the origin and use of the compiled statistical data.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

Buffalo Criminal Law Center

This well-maintained site provides a forum for criminal law research in the United States and abroad. Besides publishing the 'Buffalo Criminal Law Review', the Center aims to develop the most comprehensive collection of online materials related to domestic and international criminal code reform, and is also currently involved in an effort to reform the federal criminal code of the United States. The site has some very good research guides, including one on the criminal codes of several countries and the United States, and "New York State Criminal Offenses," a compilation of all criminal offenses contained in the laws of the state of New York.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

Cybercrimes

Hosted by the University of Dayton School of Law, "Cybercrimes" site is devoted to the School's virtual "Cybercrimes Seminar." Taught by Professor Susan Brenner, the seminar explores issues surrounding crimes involving the use of one or more computers. Other sections of the site address "Cybercrimes Against Persons", "Cybercrimes Against Property", "Cybercrimes Against Government", and "How to Report a Cybercrime". Online pornography, cyberstalking, cyberterrorism, hacking, and software piracy are among the cybercrimes covered in these sections.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

International and Comparative

The United Nations Crime and Justice Information Network

This global crime prevention and criminal justice information network focuses on the international exchange and dissemination of information on crime prevention and criminal justice issues.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

International Criminal Law

Includes the statutes of the International Criminal Court, Coalition for International Justice, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, International Criminal Tribunals, and Tribunal Reports, as well as a "Research Guide to International Criminal Law".
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

World Justice Information Network

This site, dedicated to delivering information on criminal justice worldwide, provides an up to date collection of U.S., foreign, and international law, articles from news services, professional papers and discussion groups.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

Criminal Law Web Links and E-mail Lists

This site, hosted by Professor Stephen D. Sowle of Chicago-Kent College of Law, provides a comprehensive list of links to useful sites for criminal law.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

Organized Crime and Corruption Bibliographic Database

The Nathanson Centre for the Study of Organized Crime and Corruption at the Osgoode Hall Law School and York University focuses on the control of organized crime through research, policy development, law reform and education. The site contains full text articles on money laundering, the growth of organized crime in Russia, and market and analysis of transnational crime. The newsletter provides information on the research and policy making of organized crime in Asia, the Americas, and Russia, with emphasis on issues of corruption and policing. Many useful links dedicated to the study and control of organized crime are also included.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

Internet Directories

Hieros Gamos : Criminal Law

Contains links to criminal law sites and sources, including Model Treaties on Criminal Acts; the United Nations Criminal Justice Information Network; criminal codes of Germany, New Zealand, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom. Links to U.S. statutes, regulations, agencies, and relevant commentary are also provided. Includes links to the state criminal codes of California, Florida, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

FindLaw : Legal Subjects : Criminal Law

Provides a comprehensive directory of sites pertaining to criminal law.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.

CataLaw : Legal Topics : Criminal Law

Contains comprehensive links pertaining to the subject of criminal law. This is a Canadian site.
Date Last Visited: January 26, 2007.