Law and Legal Research
Related Resources at BPL
The Criminal Law HandbookThis book demystifies the complex rules and procedures of criminal law. It explains how the system works, why police, lawyers, and judges do what they do, and what suspects, defendants, and prisoners can expect. It also provides critical information on working with a lawyer.
- Criminal Justice Research
A database from Gale that provides access to journal, magazine, and news articles and reports covering a wide range of topics, including law, criminology, forensics, sociology, psychology and mental health, and substance abuse and addiction. - American Criminal Law Review
A quarterly journal covering developments and issues in United States constitutional and criminal law. Publishes articles contributed by scholars and practitioners, and notes written by the student staff. - New Criminal Law Review
Focused on examinations of crime and punishment in domestic, transnational, and international contexts, thi journal provides timely, innovative commentary and in-depth scholarly analyses on a wide range of criminal law topics. - Social Justice
Social Justice seeks to promote human dignity, equality, peace, and genuine security. Its early focus on crime, police repression, social control, and the penal system has expanded to encompass globalization, human and civil rights, border, citizenship, and immigration issues, environmental victims and health and safety concerns, social policies affecting welfare and education, ethnic and gender relations, and persistent global inequalities.
Criminal Law
What is Criminal Law?
In the U.S. we have two broad bodies of law that encompass all legal issues: Criminal and Civil law. Civil Law is a blanket term for all non-criminal law (like financial, custody, and other disputes between private citizens or entities). Criminal Law covers a system of laws enacted to punish or reform those who have committed a criminal act such as a misdemeanor or a felony. Criminal Law enforcement and punishment varies by jurisdiction (the territory or location of legal authority).
Here is the definition for Criminal Law from Cornell's legal dictionary Wex:
Criminal law, as distinguished from civil law, is a system of laws concerned with crimes and the punishment of individuals who commit crimes. Thus, where in a civil case two parties dispute their rights, a criminal prosecution involves the government deciding whether to punish an individual for either an act or an omission.
A “crime” is any act or omission in violation of a law prohibiting said action or omission.
The location of a crime and the severity of the crime will determine who (which jurisdiction) is responsible for the trial and punishment. For example, the Boston Municipal Court has specific jurisdictions it presides over. A crime committed in New Hampshire will be handled by New Hampshire courts, not Massachusetts. However, the severity of a crime may elevate a case to the next level in the court hierarchy (Tribal Nations have their own jurisdictions but serious crimes will also be elevated to Federal Courts). In most basic terms the hierarchy for the courts is Trial Court > Appellate (Appeals) Court > Supreme Court. See the chart on the right for a detailed Massachusetts court hierarchy. Both Civil and Criminal cases are subject to court hierarchy.
Criminal Law in Massachusetts
Make use of Mass.gov to learn more about criminal law in the Commonwealth. Their Criminal Law page breaks the topic down into three categories:
The Massachusetts Trial Court Law Library website has done the research legwork on criminal law and has a page entitled "Massachusetts law about criminal law and procedure" which contains laws, cases, and web sources on criminal law and procedure law.
The Trial Court Law Library also has a Massachusetts Guide to Evidence. It is prepared annually by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. The guide arranges the current law in one easily usable document, along the lines of the Federal Rules of Evidence. The Guide presents evidence law as it currently exists, along with explanatory notes.
Local Resources
- Committee for Public Counsel Services
Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation recommends reaching out to CPCS for help with a criminal matter. 
Harvard DefendersThe only legal service organization in Massachusetts representing low-income people for free in criminal show-cause hearings.
A Jailhouse Lawyer’s ManualThis is not a local resource, but comes from Columbia University School of Law. A Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual (JLM) is a handbook of legal rights and procedures designed for use by currently incarcerated people. Since publication of the First Edition in 1978, tens of thousands of people in institutions across the country have used A Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual to exercise their legal rights.
Justia LawyersMassachusetts Criminal Legal Aid & Pro Bono Services. Browsable by city or county.
Massachusetts Criminal Law Sourcebook & CitatorFrom the publisher: "A wide body of frequently-needed information organized into one resource. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys will find this popular publication saves valuable time when preparing for a trial or when looking for a quick reference. Enjoy easy access to key elements of particular crimes; what the Commonwealth needs to prove to support its case; distinctions between related crimes; the lesser included offense in a given crime; available defenses; procedural requirements; key evidentiary issues; penalties for particular crimes; and sentencing options.
Massachusetts Continuing Legal EducationCriminal Law Checklists & Forms. MCLE is the Massachusetts legal community's premier provider of hands-on educational programs and reference materials. Its particular focus is applied law: practical, highly concrete training for attorneys in the essential elements of professional practice.