Preface

• Author: Kent Roach
• Profession: Faculty of Law and Centre of Criminology. University of Toronto
• Pages: 21-22

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PREFACE

TO THE FOURTH EDITION

This book is designed to provide a concise and current discussion of

the basic principles of Canadi an crimin al law. To this end, the heart of

this book ex amines the principles of the general par t of the criminal

law: the elements of offences and the relevant defences. It follows the

traditional conceptualization of the general par t, but it examines un-

fulf‌illed crimes and participation in cr imes earlier than other works

because of their great practical importance and t heir ef fective expan-

sion of the prohibited act. Regul atory offences a nd corporate criminal

liability are examined together because of their functional and context-

ual similar ities.

A few chapters attempt to place the general pr inciples of the cr im-

inal law in context. Ch apter 1 provides an overview to all the topics

examined in the book. Chapter 2 examines the constitutional pr in-

ciples that a ffect the investigation of crime, the criminal trial process,

and t he subst antive criminal l aw a s t hey relate to fault requirements

and defences. This edition of the book contains a new chapter 10,

which examines selected offences including homicide, sexual offences,

property, and terrorism offences. Provocation is also exa mined in t his

chapter. Other contextual chapters include chapter 11, which examines

the principles of sentencing, a nd chapter 12, which outlines models of

the criminal process, trends in the cr iminal l aw, and perspectives that

can be brought to the study of the criminal law. These chapters are not

intended to be comprehensive, and each deserves a book in its own

right, but it is hoped they will provide readers with a fuller sense of the

crimina l law than would be provided if the book were restricted to the

general part of the crim inal law.