criminallaw.wikiThe sourced reference on US criminal law

Criminal law in the United States

From criminallaw.wiki, the sourced reference on US criminal law
The Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.
The Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. Photo: TgsVenom, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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Criminal law, as distinguished from civil law, is a system of laws concerned with crimes and the punishment of individuals who commit crimes[1]. In the United States, each state decides what conduct to designate a crime and has its own criminal code, while Congress has codified federal criminal law in Title 18 of the U.S. Code[1]. Offenses are graded by seriousness: a misdemeanor is typically punishable by less than 12 months in jail, and felonies carry stiffer penalties, including jail time of more than 12 months[2].

criminallaw.wiki explains how US criminal law works, from the elements of a crime to the steps of a case, the constitutional rights of the accused and the landmark Supreme Court decisions behind them. Every page cites statutes, court opinions and official sources, and every page is general information rather than legal advice.

Sections

Criminal law basics

An overview of criminal law basics: what makes conduct a crime, the elements prosecutors must prove, how offenses are graded, and where criminal law comes from.

Crimes and offenses

An overview of how US crimes are classified, from felonies to misdemeanors, how penalties are set, and how crime data is collected and counted.

The criminal process

A step-by-step overview of how a criminal case moves from investigation through arrest, charging, trial, sentencing, and appeal in U.S. courts.

Constitutional rights

An overview of constitutional protections for people accused of crimes, covering the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments and due process.

Defenses and sentencing

An overview of criminal defenses in U.S. law, including failure-of-proof, affirmative, justification, excuse, and procedural defenses.

Landmark cases

An overview of landmark U.S. Supreme Court criminal law decisions, including Miranda, Gideon, and Mapp, with guidance on reading case citations.

Reference

References

All sources retrieved November 2026.

  1. ^ a b "Criminal law (Wex)". Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Retrieved November 2026.
  2. ^ "Misdemeanor (Wex)". Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Retrieved November 2026.