An excellent discussion of the rules and techniques of statutory interpretation can be found in in Chapter 5, covering The Legality Principle, Fundamentals of Criminal Law . No act is a crime if it has not been previously established as such either by statute or common law. Historically, most crimes have been established by state law, with laws varying significantly state to state. In recent years the list of Federal crimes has grown. All statutes describing criminal behavior can be broken down into its various elements.
Prosecutors have to prove each and every element of the crime to yield a conviction.
Other Criminal Justice Topics People Finder-SwirchBoard. Cataloging in Publication Data Moskovitz, Myron. California Center For Judicial Education And Research Continuing Education of the Bar-California Library of Congress Catalog Card Nos.