Roberts and Zuckerman's Criminal Evidence is the eagerly-anticipated third of edition of the market-leading text on criminal evidence, fully revised to take account of developments in legislation, case-law, policy debates, and academic commentary during the decade since the previous edition was published.
With an explicit focus on the rules and principles of criminal trial procedure, Roberts and Zuckerman's Criminal Evidence develops a coherent account of evidence law which is doctrinally detailed, securely grounded in a normative theoretical framework, and sensitive to the institutional and socio-legal factors shaping criminal litigation in practice. The book is designed to be accessible to the beginner, informative to the criminal court judge or legal practitioner, and thought-provoking to the advanced student and scholar: a textbook and monograph rolled into one.
The book also provides an ideal disciplinary map and work of reference to introduce non-lawyers (including forensic scientists and other expert witnesses) to the foundational assumptions and technical intricacies of criminal trial procedure in England and Wales, and will be an invaluable resource for courts, lawyers and scholars in other jurisdictions seeking comparative insight and understanding of evidentiary regulation in the common law tradition.
Roberts and Zuckerman's Criminal Evidence provides a systematic and contextualised introduction to the principles of criminal evidence and trial procedure. It is designed for university courses at all levels, and for criminal practitioners seeking concise summaries of current law and a principled basis for novel legal arguments.
Practitioners preparing a complex case or appeal on a point of law, or who want an intellectually stimulating refresher, will enjoy it immensely. The frequent citation of empirical research into the operation of particular evidential rules provide a grounded analysis which practitioners will often recognise. For students studying bar or solicitors vocational courses, perhaps encountering the law of evidence for the first time, this is an exemplar of powerful academic writing. It proves on every page how exciting, rather than intimidating, turgid and technical, this area of law really is.
