MVV253K Criminal Law and Procedure – From the Point of View of an Illinois Lawyer

Faculty of Law
Spring 2018
Extent and Intensity
0/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Thomas A. Tonozzi (lecturer), prof. JUDr. Ing. Michal Radvan, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
prof. JUDr. Ing. Michal Radvan, Ph.D.
Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Mgr. Věra Redrupová, B.A.
Supplier department: Faculty of Law
Timetable of Seminar Groups
MVV253K/01: Mon 9. 4. 13:30–15:00 025, Tue 10. 4. 13:30–15:00 025, Wed 11. 4. 13:30–15:00 025, Thu 12. 4. 13:30–15:00 025, Mon 16. 4. 16:40–18:10 025, Tue 17. 4. 18:15–19:45 025, Wed 18. 4. 18:15–19:45 025, Thu 19. 4. 15:05–16:35 025
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 37 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The purpose of this class is to acquaint students with the criminal law and procedure in the state of Illinois. The course will explain the basics of criminal law and procedure, the purpose and uses of a grand jury and a petit jury, the elements of a criminal offense. It will also deal with an individual’s constitutional rights. Examples of various criminal trials in which the instructor was involved will be used as examples.
The class will be based upon the Illinois Code of Criminal Law and Procedure. There will be discussions of specific cases that have been reviewed by higher courts both in Illinois and on the federal level. There will be discussion of the parallel judicial systems: system of trial court, appellate court and supreme court; the federal system of the district court, the circuit court of appeals and the United States Supreme Court.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course students should be able to:
- understand and explain American criminal law and procedure;
- work with information on statutes and case law;
- create a method of analysis so that the law can be applied to facts;
- make reasoned decisions about case law and criminal statutes;
- make deductions based on acquired knowledge of the criminal law and statutes;
- interpret statutes and court decisions.
Syllabus
  • 1. Common Law
  • 2. Jury Trial/Petit Jury/Grand Jury
  • a. Jurisdiction
  • b. Venue
  • c. Elements of a crime
  • d. True crime
  • e. Strict liability offense
  • f. Mental attitudes
  • g. Standards of proof
  • h. Probable cause
  • i. Grand jury
  • j. Petit Jury
  • k. Preliminary hearing
  • l. Arraignment
  • m. Pre-trial discovery
  • n. Right to confront witnesses
  • o. Right to cross examine
  • p. Right to speedy trial
  • q. Pros and cons of plea bargaining
  • 3. Inchoate and Choate Offenses Felony, Misdemeanor, Petty offense
  • 4. Crimes Against a Person
  • a. Murder and felony murder (Murder committed during the commission of a forcible felony)
  • b. Voluntary manslaughter
  • c. Involuntary manslaughter
  • d. Reckless homicide
  • e. Battery
  • f. Aggravated battery
  • g. Assault
  • h. Aggravated assault
  • i. Sex crimes
  • j. Related offenses
  • k. Armed robbery (which has elements of crimes against a person and elements of a crime against property)
  • 5. Crimes Against Property
  • a. Crimes against property
  • b. Burglary
  • c. Petty theft and grand theft
  • d. Robbery
  • e. Armed robbery
  • f. Related offenses
  • 6. Drug Offenses
  • 7. Criminal Procedure
  • a. 1st Amendment
  • b. 2nd Amendment
  • c. 4th Amendment
  • d. 5th Amendment
  • e. 14th Amendment
  • 8. Various Issues Relating to a Person’s Constitutional Rights Defendant’s constitutional rights
  • 9. Motions to Suppress or Quash
  • a. Related motions to quash and suppress and to otherwise attack the state’s proof
  • b. Motion in limine
  • c. Motion for change of venue
  • d. Motion to sequester a jury
Literature
  • Illinois Criminal Code and Cases and handouts
Teaching methods
Lectures with discussions, presentations and case studies
Assessment methods
Test
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught only once.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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