Criminal law is one of the most fascinating areas of legal practice. The instructor--a former major-felony prosecutor who has appeared on Court TV--gives a behind the scenes look at criminal law by examining the world of prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the paralegals who work closely with them. You will examine all major areas of crime: from theft to murder, conspiracy to sexual assault. The trial of a criminal case will be dissected and explained for you. You'll also explore the various types of criminal defenses, sentencing, and appeals procedures. A variety of exercises based on the lessons will give you a hands-on experience. Each lesson will also feature A View from the Inside -- compelling information about the criminal justice system, in the words of actual people who experience it every day.

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Recommended Courses:

Students who enrolled in Introduction to Criminal Law were also interested in the following courses:

Introduction to Criminal Law II

Forensic Science for Writers

Evidence Law

Legal Nurse Consulting

Real Estate Law

Workers' Compensation

Syllabus:

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week One

Wednesday - Lesson 01

In this first lesson, we'll lay the foundation for the course by examining the basic features of criminal law, including how this area of law differs from every other. You'll find this first look at the important aspects of the American criminal justice system very valuable!

Friday - Lesson 02

Today, we'll begin to examine crimes against people by reviewing the facts of a real murder case. Here's your chance to visit a real crime scene and examine the body just as it was found on a chilly January morning. From there, we'll examine the basic elements of a murder case, as well as other crimes against people.

Week Two

Wednesday - Lesson 03

In this lesson, we'll continue our examination into crimes against people by exploring the world of assault and battery. We'll also take a close look at some of the most common myths people believe about prosecuting crimes of violence. Then we'll address the crimes of stalking and kidnapping.

Friday - Lesson 04

How is a person accused of helping another person commit a crime sentenced? Does the driver of the getaway car receive the same sentence as the bank robber? What is a conspiracy? Today I'll answer these questions and many others. In this lesson, we'll examine the roles of principles and accessories, and how prosecutors charge gang members and others who conspire to commit a crime.

Week Three

Wednesday - Lesson 05

What is rape? In this lesson, we'll go behind the legal definition to use plain language to define exactly what the elements of rape are, then we'll look at how prosecutors charge sexual offenders. We'll also try to understand child molestation and the impact that these crimes have on their victims.

Friday - Lesson 06

Today we'll explore the crimes of burglary and fraud. You'll learn not only how a person commits burglary, but also the most common techniques most burglars use. We'll also expose white-collar crime schemes, common games, and other frauds.

Week Four

Wednesday - Lesson 07

Drug dealers have become very sophisticated over the years. In today's lesson, you'll learn how prosecutors and police investigate, charge, and convict people who sell narcotics. We’ll examine in detail the concepts of possession of illegal narcotics, drug paraphernalia, crack cocaine, and other illegal substances.

Friday - Lesson 08

What is the legal definition of bribery? In this era of corporate scandals and obstruction of justice by millionaire businesspeople, you'll need to know the basic steps to follow to bring a bribery or obstruction of justice charge.

Week Five

Wednesday - Lesson 09

It's time to step inside a real courtroom! Today, we'll go beyond what television presents and see how a real trial proceeds from start to finish. Do trial attorneys really scream at witnesses? Can lawyers really get away with some of the tactics we see them using on nightly television? I'll answer these questions and many others in this lesson.

Friday - Lesson 10

When a person is on trial, what types of defenses can he or she raise? What exactly is an alibi defense? What is the definition of legal insanity? How does a defendant actually present his defense? Today we'll examine the role of different defenses, then we'll dispel some common myths about criminal defenses.

Week Six

Wednesday - Lesson 11

From mothers who drown their own children to men who attempt to kill the president, the insanity defense has had a long and controversial history in the United States. In this lesson, we'll step behind the headlines and examine the real details—not only about how to raise an insanity defense, but also looking at what the statistics have to say about the success of this defense.

Friday - Lesson 12

We'll conclude the course with a look at the appeals process. How many convictions are reversed on appeal? Is the appellate process different in death penalty cases? In this last lesson, we'll examine the entire appellate process from start to finish to give you a straightforward guide to criminal appeals.

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Neal Bevans.

Neal Bevans is a former Assistant District Attorney. A veteran of over 150 trials, Bevans has tried every major felony from rape, murder, and narcotics to armed robbery. One of his cases was televised nationally on Court TV. He has a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia (Order of the Barrister) and has been a college instructor for over 10 years. He has also presented numerous seminars to medical professionals about the legal field, including training seminars for legal nurse consultants and sexual assault nurse examiners. In addition to practicing real estate law, he also worked as a title examiner and bought and sold real estate investment properties. An author of fiction and nonfiction material, his textbook Criminal Law and Procedure for Paralegals, was published in 2002. His second textbook, Tort Law for Legal Assistants, was published in 2003. He has also published numerous magazine articles about many aspects of the legal and medical fields, including articles focusing on developing a legal nurse consulting practice. He is also a contributing columnist to Legal Assistant Today magazine.

Requirements:

Internet access, email, and a Firefox, Netscape, Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browser.

Student Reviews:

"After being a stay at home mom for the past 7 years, this course has helped me to learn how to think again. I had forgotten how much I missed learning. I have learned a lot and I feel better about myself as well."

"A very interesting course. I will definitely continue with the Paralegal studies. My instructor made it more interesting, just by his thorough knowledge of the field (which I strongly perceived by his teaching style) and which in turn gave us, his students, a motivation to absorb his teachings. I am a professional international journalist (on sabbatical) with a long work history in Europe and Asia. A post-grad Grant at the University of Oxford, UK, meant I didn't have knowledge of US laws. This course helped me understand better. Thank you to everyone for making this a wonderful learning experience."

"enjoyed the course, it gave me a nice overview of the law."

"EXCELLENT CLASS/INSTRUCTOR!! Having already finished the Paralegal Series, this was the best class I've taken—it should be a part of the paralegal series. This instructor was the best, by far!"

"Excellent course. Very practical. I liked the instructor's style. It was very practical, objective, and information filled. I can see why he is an excellent lawyer. He has the ability to make people want to know more and listen."

"Excellent! Entertaining, enlightening and educational."

"Fantastic course and wonderful instructor!!!"

"Fantastic job to the instructor. This was my first online classroom experience...and hoping this isn't the last. I felt at ease throughout the course."

"Great class, lots of informative information!!"

"I am currently working as a Victim Assistance Coordinator in a DA's office, so I have been faced with many legal issues and terms. This course helped clear up some things I was uncertain on and also gave me a good grasp of some basic elements of criminal law. Thanks for the down-to-earth style of writing as well!"

"I enjoyed the course and found it to be very successful. I am looking forward to his next course!"

"I enjoyed the examples that the instructor used to illustrate his point. After I received the response to my first question, I was comfortable asking subsequent questions. It is obvious that Mr. Bevans enjoys this teaching format. He was open and responsive to all of my questions."

"I enjoyed this course and learned a great deal from taking it online. Thank you for making this available to all."

"I enjoyed this course immensely, and the instrutor was very good and made it interesting. I learned a lot during this session and will be taking the next part of this course BECAUSE of the instructor. Thank you."

"I enjoyed this course. I would definitely recommend this course as well as the knowledge provided by the instructor. This was interesting and fun at the same time. I would love to do it all over again."

"I feel like I have learned the basics in this class that I am going to need in my future classes. Mr. Bevans was extremely well-spoken and direct and very understanding of his students. I look forward to the next course!!!"

"I have taken Evidence Law before this class which was great but Intro to Criminal Law was very interesting! The instructor has a great method of teaching. The lessons were intense and informative but easy to understand. Thank You!"

"I have to say, your writing is impeccable. As I read the lessons and think of questions I may have, you answer them by the end of the lesson. This makes me speechless in the end, when I attempt to think of a question to create some discussion. I'll have to get back to you when I can think of something additional that I'd like to know."

"I learned a lot of information from this course that I will use on a daily basis at my job."

"I liked this class. I hope that the remainder of this program is like this. I enjoyed the lessons and the examples that were given to interest us in the lesson. Thank you!"

"I loved this course. It was so helpful, I would recommend this class to anyone. Thank you very much!"

"I love this course and instructor."

"I really enjoyed the course. Thank you to our instructor. Thank you again for giving me a taste of the legal world!"

"I really enjoyed this class and I plan to take others offered and instructed by you. Thank you for sharing your knowledge."

"I really enjoyed this class. I learned a lot about criminal law that I did not know before. I am definitely going to take more classes about different aspects of the law. I may even think about a new career in the legal field. Thank you for such an interesting class."

"I really enjoyed this class. Thanks so much."

"I really enjoyed this course and have enrolled in the others. Thanks!"

"I really enjoyed this course and will be taking others that are offered. Thank you"

"I really enjoyed this course, and would highly recommend it to others."

"I really enjoyed this course. It was full of information and gave me a real feel for the legal system. The extra assignments were very helpful, supporting the information given in each lesson."

"I really have enjoyed the class and the instructor's lessons. I have learned a great deal more about the law and the legal system. I like the way the lessons were based on real trials. I feel honored to be taught by an attorney with such excellent credentials. I look forward to learning more and telling others how excellent a course this is for all who desire to learn more about criminal law. Thank you."

"I think having an instructor who has worked in the field & has real life experiences is a plus. I learn & retain more info when I visualize the situations based on real life. Mr. Bevans did a great job & I have decided to take his other course."

"I thoroughly enjoyed this class. The instructer had a very personal writing style which made the concepts easy to digest."

"I thoroughly enjoyed this course! Now when I watch Law & Order, I'll be doing so with a more critical eye! Looking forward to taking another course from this instructor."

"I thoroughly enjoyed this course. This instructor was excellent and I hope to see him offer more courses."

"I thought that the instructor of this course was excellent! He was very articulate, but yet he made it very easy to understand the material. I loved this class and the instructor, and I would recommend it to anyone!!"

"I thought your course was very informative while being interactive and entertaining. Overall I had a good time taking this course."

"I truly enjoyed my course and I feel that this was a great help to me since I hope to be a paralegal."

"It's AWESOME.I love it."

"It was a wonderful course. Very interesting."

"I've taken all of the 6 the Paralegal Courses and the evidence courses, by far this was the best. While, of course, the subject matter has something to do with this, the instructor's use of specific crimes and showing the elements throughout each lesson were great. The assigned research opened a lot of doors to the availability of information. The pre-test and information given prior to starting the course were an excellent tool. Please develop a follow up course using research techniques, preparation of documents, etc."

"I want to thank you for the way that you presented the material. Thank you very much, good class."

"I was very pleased with this course and was very impressed by the instructor and his level of knowledge in all areas."

"I will tell all I know about this class."

"I would definitely recommend this course as well as the knowledge provided by the instructor. This was interesting and fun at the same time. I would love to do it all over again."

"I would love it if Mr. Bevans was the instructor for all the classes. Thank you for making my introduction in the legal world so wonderful!!"

"Learned a great deal of information on criminal law. I am confident that I can speak on various topics in criminal law. Thank you very much."

"Learned a lot. Excellent instructor and well-written course."

"Loved the course! I really looked forward to the new lessons and information!"

"Really loved this course, learned a lot. Very good instructor."

"Teacher, Thank you so much for this learning experience. Loved your class...I will tell all I know about this class."

"Thanks it was really informative and enjoyed it all."

"Thank you do much for making this class so informative and such a pleasure to take. You made me look forward to every Wed. and Fri. when the new lessons would start."

"Thank you, I can't wait to take the next one."

"The best class I have ever taken. I am now looking forward to more law classes."

"The class was excellent. I enjoyed it. The professor was excellent."

"The excitement of the course makes one eager to absorb more knowledge."

"The instructor was great. No wonder I got 100% on the final! Thanks and I love this course and this instructor, so I will be taking another of his courses online, even if I HAVE finished with my Paralegal Degree."

"This class delivered everything I expected and more."

"This class delivered everything I expected and more. The lessons were constructed around real life cases the Mr. Bevans has had over the course of his career. The lessons were informative and entertaining. I especially enjoyed the assignments because it gave me the ability to see how much information is available on the Internet and how useful that will be for a future Paralegal. I would love it if Mr. Bevans was the instructor for all the classes. Thank you for making my introduction in the legal world so wonderful!!"

"This course gave me a lot of information helpful to me in the work I am already doing. I plan to continue my education in this area."

"This course kept my interest and I am looking forward to learning more. This course helped me realize how interesting law is. This was an affordable, low risk way to see if I should pursue a higher education in this field. Thank You."

"This has been a great class. I have always been interested in the field of law and this class has made it more so. I think that everyone should take a class like this to learn about our laws and how they are given. Makes you think."

"This has been a wonderful experience for me! I very much enjoyed this course and thanks to you, Mr. Bevans, for a job well done. Cases that you shared from your experience made it all the more interesting."

"This instructor is totallly awesome...he adds humor to explaining his cases. I applaud him on his teachings. Thanks so much!"

"This instructor was able to weave his real life experiences into the course in a very effective way. This was a very pleasant experience for my first online course. I would recommend this course to anyone with an interest in criminal law. I for one will be taking the rest of the courses offered by this instructor. Thank you!!!"

"This was a great online class! I have really enjoyed this class and would love to take more classes by this instructor. Outstanding! His lesson kept your interest and had you waiting until the next lesson was released."

"This was an awesome class. I really enjoyed it."

"This was an excellent course. The material is very relevant to my Degree. The instructor was very good and the lessons were very interesting!"

"This was a wonderful course and I would recommend it to anyone entering the legal profession."

"This was a wonderful course and the instructor knows exactly how to explain terminology linked to real life cases that helped so much in understanding the meanings and how cases are decided. I thoroughly enjoyed this course and will be recommending it to the law enforcement agencies. This instructor was excellent and I hope to see him offer more courses."

"This was my first online course and I was a little apprehensive of it, but it was a fantastic course. I think that the material was quite educational and entertaining. My favorite part of the lessons was that the instructor made sure to include a "real" case for each lesson. That made the lessons more interesting and it helped me to connect the information to real life."

"Very excellent, enjoyed the course and as a refresher to CJ Criminal Law, just what I needed."

"Very good course. Presented in a way you felt the instructor was in the room with you as you visualized each lesson. Good job, very professional."

"Very informative course. Thanks!!"

"Very interesting course and reference materials. I wasn't sure if I would be interested in going into the Criminal Justice field and this gave me some insight. Very helpful in making some decisions."