Pamela R Ferguson and Claire McDiarmid, SCOTS CRIMINAL LAW: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press (www.euppublishing.com ), 2014. lxv + 701 pp. ISBN 9781845861308. £40.

Date01 May 2015
AuthorRachel McPherson
DOI10.3366/elr.2015.0290
Pages297-298
Published date01 May 2015

The second edition of this text has been updated to reflect the significant changes seen to Scots criminal law in recent years. The references to Scottish crime statistics, case law and academic work are certainly the most up to date available for students or practitioners looking to a single source.

In part one of the book, which deals with the appropriate scope of criminal law, readers are provided with an account of philosophical underpinnings in a depth and detail which is unparalleled in other textbooks on the subject matter. Certainly for those studying at honours or postgraduate level, this detail will be welcomed and beneficial. Although the authors go to great lengths to provide practical examples relating to the theories of criminalisation, part one of the book may nevertheless be a difficult start for those students being introduced to the subject for the first time at undergraduate level.

Another distinctive feature of this text is its central placing of feminist critiques of criminal law. This is important at a theoretical level but also allows the authors to present a meaningful discussion of the equality issues which raise themselves in the application of law.

Part two of the book enters into a more practical realm. Pamela Ferguson's own experiences as a practitioner are engaging and humorous, making one wonder how many prosecutors travel to Scottish courts heavily armed! Here, the significance of pre-trial...

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