Understand criminal law! Learn your rights and how to protect yourself. Whether you face a criminal case, work in law enforcement, or simply want to know more about the criminal law system, this book can help. Criminal Law: A Desk Reference covers the basic to the complex in alphabetical order. Whether it's "alibi" or "writ of habeas corpus," the book makes it easy to find and understand what you're looking for. It even provides links to articles about the law in your state. With this book you'll be able to: learn the law with real-life examples understand procedures from arraignment through sentencing determine defenses to common crimes examine actual criminal statutes understand juvenile court know how appeals work, and learn how to work with a lawyer. This edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect the latest criminal law trends and Supreme Court rulings.