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LAW 176 Criminal Law (3)
3 hours lecture per week
Recommended Preparation: Credit in or qualification for ENG 100 or ESL 100.
LAW 176 provides an overview of the major legal issues of criminal procedure and substantive criminal law and how felony and non-felony cases make their way through the Hawai`i criminal justice system. Pretrial motions, plea-bargaining, and sentencing issues will also be covered. This course also will give the student a basic understanding of how the criminal law is related to the separation of powers doctrine and the principle of federalism.
Upon successful completion of LAW 176, the student should be able to:
- Describe how the Hawai'i Penal Code is interpreted and applied in various hypothetical situations.
- Identify other criminal laws in the Hawai'i Revised Statutes outside the Penal Code.
- Apply the Hawai'i Rules of Court and the Hawai’i Rules of Criminal Procedure.
- Explain the procedural aspects of Hawai'i's criminal justice system and the pitfalls raised by these procedural aspects in the course of criminal litigation.
- Define the fundamental aspects of prosecutorial discretion, plea bargaining, and negotiation involved in criminal litigation.