Blackstone's Criminal Practice 2025

Part A: Criminal Law
A1: Actus reus: the external elements of an offence
A2: Mens rea
A3: General defences
A4: Parties to offences
A5: Inchoate offences
A6: Corporate liability
A7: Human rights
A8: Territorial and extra-territorial jurisdiction
A9: European Union law
Part B: Offences
B1: Homicide and related offences
B2: Non-fatal offences against the person
B3: Sexual offences
B4: Theft, handling stolen goods and related offences
B5: Fraud and blackmail
B6: Falsification, forgery and counterfeiting
B7: Company, commercial and insolvency offences
B8: Damage to property
B9: Offences affecting security
B10: Terrorism, piracy and hijacking
B11: Offences affecting public order
B12: Offences relating to weapons
B13: Offences affecting enjoyment of premises
B14: Offences against the administration of justice
B15: Corruption
B16: Revenue, customs and social security offences
B17: Offences involving misuse of computers
B18: Offences involving writing, speech or publication
B19: Offences relating to drugs
B20: Offences relating to dangerous dogs and animal welfare
B21: Offences relating to money laundering and the proceeds of criminal conduct
B22: Modern slavery, trafficking and immigration offences
Part C: Road Traffic Offences
C1: Definitions and basic principles in road traffic cases
C2: Procedure and evidence in road traffic cases
C3: Offences relating to driving triable on indictment
C4: Offences relating to documents triable on indictment
C5: Drink-driving and drug-driving offences
C6: Summary traffic offences
C7: Sentencing
C8: Schedules 2 and 3 to the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988
Part D: Procedure
D1: Powers of investigation
D2: The decision to prosecute and diversion
D3: Courts, parties and abuse of process
D4: Criminal Procedure Rules and case management
D5: Starting a prosecution and preliminary proceedings in magistrates>' courts
D6: Classification of offences and determining allocation (mode of trial)
D7: Bail
D8: Assets recovery
D9: Disclosure
D10: Sending cases from the magistrates>' court to the Crown Court
D11: The indictment
D12: Arraignment and pleas
D13: Juries
D14: Special measures and anonymity orders
D15: Trial on indictment: general matters and pre-trial procedure
D16: Trial on indictment: the prosecution case
D17: Trial on indictment: the defence case
D18: Trial on indictment: procedure between close of defence case and retirement of jury
D19: Trial on indictment: procedure relating to retirement of jury and verdict
D20: Trial on indictment: sentencing procedure
D21: Summary trial: general and preliminary matters
D22: Summary trial: the course of the trial
D23: Sentencing in the magistrates>' court
D24: Trial of children and young people
D25: Behaviour orders
D26: Appeal to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) following trial on indictment
D27: Procedure on appeal to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
D28: Reference to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) by the Attorney-General and Criminal Cases Review Commission
D29: Challenging decisions of magistrates>' courts and of the Crown Court in its appellate capacity
D30: Appeals to the Supreme Court and the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights
D31: Extradition
D32: Public funding
D33: Costs
Part E: Sentencing
E1: Sentencing Code and sentencing guidelines
E2: Sentencing: general provisions
E3: Absolute and conditional discharge
E4: Referral orders
E5: Fines
E6: Compensation orders
E7: Restitution orders
E8: Deprivation orders and forfeiture orders
E9: Binding over
E10: Orders against parents
E11: Youth rehabilitation orders
E12: Community orders
E13: Custodial sentences: general provisions
E14: Suspended sentences
E15: Custodial sentences: detention and custody of offenders under 18
E16: Life sentences, extended sentences, serious terrorism sentences and custodial sentences for certain offenders of 's good character
F15: Character evidence: evidence of bad character of persons other than the accused
F16: The rule against hearsay: general principles
F17: Exceptions to the rule against hearsay (excluding confessions)
F18: The rule against hearsay: confessions
F19: Evidence of identification
F20: Inferences from silence and the non-production of evidence