Criminal Law and Justice Research Guide

This guide is an overview of the federal criminal law and procedure resources, with an emphasis on criminal procedure. It also discusses sources of law enforcement statistics.

Contents

Federal Court Rules

Please refer to our Federal Court Rules guide for more information about the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. As explained in that guide, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure are "rules of general applicability that apply in criminal matters heard in all United States District Courts; however, each U.S. District Court also has its own local rules, which supplement the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure." If you are interesting in researching the federal rulemaking process, see the page on Legislative History of Court Rules.

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Welcome

This research guide provides an overview of the federal criminal law resources and other related resources, with an emphasis on criminal procedure. It does not cover international or state laws.

Here you can find information on finding criminal law & procedure texts & treatises, law review articles & newsletters, news & current awareness sources, government & research institute reports, case law, and links to resources on the free web such as government websitesstatistics websites, think tanks and policy institutes, and professional assocations.

Texts & Treatises

See the Secondary Sources page for a more detailed list of major texts and treatises, both electronic and in-print, from introductory sources to those that are more in-depth.

Also see our Criminal Law Treatise Finder for help selecting a treatise.

News & Current Awareness Sources