Treatises, Hornbooks and Nutshells
Treatises are in-depth treatments of a legal subject written by scholars in the field. Consult them at any stage in your research -- whether you're looking for an overview of the subject or detailed analysis of a particular point of law. Pay attention to the footnotes for references to other sources, both primary and secondary.
Hornbooks are shorter treatises written with law students and practitioners in mind.
Nutshells are brief, handy overviews of an area of law. Pick one up when you want a quick introduction to a subject, or use as a reference or study guide.
Wharton's Criminal Law, 15th ed. by Call Number: Available in WestlawNext- Substantive Criminal Law by Call Number: KF9219 .L386 2003 Law Stacks; also in WestlawISBN: 0314108025Publication Date: 2003-01-01Includes in-depth discussion of the Model Penal Code
Search and Seizure by Call Number: KF9630 .H36 2013 Law StacksISBN: 9780769888446Publication Date: 2013- Constitutional Rights of the Accused, 3rd ed. by Call Number: Available in WestlawNext
- Orfield's Criminal Procedure under the Federal Rules, 2nd ed. by Call Number: KF9619 .O7 1985 Law Stacks (7 volumes), also in WestlawNext
- Federal Practice and Procedure, 2nd ed. by Call Number: KF8840 .W68 Law Stacks (33 volumes); also in WestlawNextVolumes 1-3 cover the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
Loewy's Criminal Law in a Nutshell, 5th by Call Number: KF9219.3 .L63 2009 Law StacksISBN: 9780314194961Publication Date: 2009-08-28
Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Limitations in a Nutshell, 8th by Call Number: KF9619.3 .I8 2006 Law StacksISBN: 9780314288929Publication Date: 2014-01-22
Legal Encyclopedias
Legal Encyclopedias are a great way to start research on an unfamiliar topic. They offer concise explanations on subjects from the broad to the specific, and help lead you to other relevant secondary sources.
American Jurisprudence (AmJur.) and Corpus Juris Secundum (C.J.S.) are the major national encyclopedias, but many individual states publish them as well (e.g. - Massachusetts Practice or New York Jurisprudence).
Use your keywords to search the index to find relevant entries. Here are a few examples:
- 21A Am.Jur.2d Criminal Law § 983 - Generally; right to impartial jury
- 21 Am.Jur.2d Criminal Law § 793 - Concurrent or consecutive sentences
- 30 Mass. Prac. Criminal Practice and Procedure § 3.1 - Arrest, seizure of the person and the federal and Massachusetts Constitutions
Find other selected state encyclopedias through NUCAT or on Westlaw or Lexis.
Other Books
Both the Law Library and Snell Library (the main NU library) have many other books on criminal law-related subjects. To find them, try the Library of Congress SUBJECT searches in ScholarOneSearch below.
Criminal law -- United States
Criminal law -- Massachusetts
Criminal procedure -- United States
Criminal procedure -- Massachusetts
Criminal justice, Administration of -- United States
Criminal justice, Administration of -- Massachusetts
Searches and seizures -- United States
Searches and seizures -- Massachusetts
Punishment -- United States
Punishment -- Massachusetts
United States. Constitution. 4th. Amendment
United States. Constitution. 5th. Amendment
Journal Articles
To find law journal and law review articles on any aspect of criminal law, use one of the following tools available via a link from the Law Library's Research Databases page:
- Current Index to Legal Periodicals
- Index to Legal Periodicals
- LegalTrac
- HeinOnline's Law Journal Library
HeinOnline, Lexis, Bloomberg Law, and Westlaw have selective full-text coverage of law review and law journal articles.
Model Penal Code
- Model Penal Code and Commentaries: Official Draft and Revised Comments by Call Number: KF9209.52 .A2 1980 Law Stacks, also in HeinOnline ALI Library