Since the publication of the first edition in 1996,?Criminal Law?by Kent Roach has become one of the most highly regarded titles in Irwin Law's Essentials of Canadian Law series. Professor Roach's account of the current state of substantive criminal law in Canada has become essential reading not only in law schools, but also among judges, practitioners, and others involved in the criminal justice system.

The eighth edition of?Criminal Law?has been thoroughly updated to include new developments. It includes a detailed discussion of R v Brown striking down restrictions on the extreme intoxication defence and the likely parliamentary reply. It also examines changes in jury selection upheld in R v Chouhan; important decisions on fault, such as R v Zora, R v Javanmardi, R v Chung, and R v Goforth; and assesses R v Cowan on parties.

The discussion of sexual assault has been updated to take into account R v Barton and the possible implications of R v Morrison. The Supreme Court's first decision under the amended self-defence provisions in R v Khill is reviewed. This new edition also has been revised to include important decisions from the Ontario and Nova Scotia Courts of Appeal on sentencing Black offenders, as well as the Supreme Court's striking down of mandatory minimum fine surcharges and stacking of twenty-five-year periods of parole ineligibility.