Essential Criminal Law offers students a concise, yet comprehensive introduction to criminal law in the United States. Criminal law expert and award-winning professor Matthew Lippman walks students through the complexities of the legal system using thought-provoking examples of real-life crimes and legal defences as well as highly approachable case analyses. Offering a wide variety of engaging learning tools, the text encourages strong legal reasoning skills for students who may not have had any exposure to case law—providing a solid foundational understanding of this subject.