Why should criminology and criminal justice students study criminal law? Beyond the obvious answer, Cross (criminal justice, Liverpool John Moores U.) suggests that it is important to understand the gap between the rules set out by criminal law and the actual practices of police and criminal justice organizations that often use their own power, discretion, and working rules more than the criminal law itself. This, then, specifically as it concerns England and Wales, is the main subject of his text. It is split into two main parts, the first of which looks at general principles of liability in criminal law and how they are implemented in criminal justice practice in relation to different groups of people within the criminal justice process. The second examines specific types of criminal offence and how they are implemented in criminal justice practice. Exercises and discussion questions for students are included, as are "definition boxes" explaining key concepts and terminology. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)