Criminal Law in Canada: An Introduction to the Theoretical Social and Legal Contexts, Fifth Edition provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of criminal law and combines commentary by the authors with excerpts from cases, government reports, and extensive secondary material, including newspaper reports and articles. The book fills a gap between books that adopt standard black letter approaches to criminal law and those that focus exclusively on the social aspects of criminal law. While critically examining the traditional approach to criminal law found in the Criminal Code and the common law, this text explores the historical, theoretical, sociological, and political contexts of the criminal law and its administration. The fifth edition contains the analysis of important statutory, case law, and related developments that have emerged since the last edition.

New in this edition

This work has been updated to include new case law and analysis of important developments that have emerged since the previous edition, including:

• New case law and commentary on the topic of prostitution legislation, including Canada (A.G.) v. Bedford (2013 SCC 72), and Bill C-36
• The Police Record Checks Reform Act 2015, S.O. 2015 c. 30, Ontario's new regulatory policy governing "carding" by police
• The Victims Bill of Rights Act, S.C. 2015, c. 13, which provides rights at the federal level for victims of crimes
• An examination of the issues surrounding the overrepresentation of Aboriginal accused’s in the criminal justice system, including R. v. Ipeelee (2012 SCC 13)
• Discussion of legislation and case law concerning mandatory minimum sentences, including R. v. Nur (2015 SCC 15), in which the Supreme Court of Canada struck down certain mandatory minimum sentencing as unconstitutional
• New case excerpts dealing with criminal law liability and defences have been added
• Discussion of inequalities along racial and gender lines in terms of the experiences people have in the criminal justice system

Additionally, the discussion questions and further reading sections in each chapter have been updated.