Canadian Criminal Law/Introduction

Preface

This text was written as a reference on the proof of Criminal Code offences, as well as the legal doctrines that can be applied in proving offences, and the available defences. The audience for this text will be mostly criminal law practitioners, police officers, and law students, who need a convenient way to look up principles and case law. Where possible there are links to cited cases on CanLII for ease of reference.

Organization of Book

This book is organized into five Chapters. The first three chapters, Proof of Elements, Doctrine of Liability, and Principles of Interpretation are intended to provide coverage of the basic principles and elements that make up the proof of fact in a criminal context.

The remaining two chapters, Offences and Defences, cover the legal interpretation and application of particular criminal code offences as well as the available defences recognized in Canadian law.