Book Links
THESE LINKS ARE TO REFERENCES MENTIONED IN THE book. They may change from time to time; I’ll make every effort to keep an updated Book Links page on my website, www.LawandFiction.com
Chapter 1: Trial and Error
A. The Judicial System:
The National Center for State Courts (www.ncsc.org) maintains a directory of state court websites:
www.ncsc.org/Information-and-Resources/Browse-by-State/State-Court-Websites.aspx
The National Association of Drug Court Professionals provides drug court statistics and a fact sheet:
www.nadcp.org/learn/drug-courts-work
C. Evidence:
A sample chain of custody form, from Montana:
www.dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/lab/documents/chainofcustody.pdf
E. Burden of Proof
The Innocence Project maintains a directory of state laws requiring preservation of evidence:
www.innocenceproject.org/news/LawView4.php
For additional discussion, and one example of how the failure to preserve evidence affected an appeal in a capital case, see:
www.innocenceproject.org/Content/Preservation_Of_Evidence.php
Chapter 2: Legal Issues in Criminal Investigation
The National Center for State Courts’ FAQs page on Indigent Defense gives details on current state systems:
www.ncsc.org/Topics/Access-and-Fairness/Indigent-Defense/FAQ.aspx
For a sample state extradition form, see this Minnesota form:
forms.lp.findlaw.com/form/courtforms/state/mn/mn000030.pdf
For details on international extradition in cases of child abduction or violence against family, see the State Department’s International Child Abduction web page:
travel.state.gov/abduction/abduction_580.html
For state-by-state information on recording conversations, see The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press guide: www.rcfp.org/taping
Chapter 3. Crime …
Gun laws change regularly, so consult the laws for your story locale. The NRA website maintains links to federal, state, and local laws: www.nraila.org/GunLaws
Juvenile justice: The statistics on transfers are taken from a U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Fact Sheet, published June 2009, “Delinquency Cases Waived to Criminal Court, 2005”: www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/224539.pdf
For an overview and state-by-state summary of transfer laws, and a look at children under twelve, see “From Time Out to Hard Time: Young Children in the Adult Criminal Justice System,” by Michele Deitch (2009), a project report of the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs:
www.utexas.edu/lbj/archive/news/images/file/From%20Time%20Out%20to%20Hard%20Time-revised%20final.pdf
The National Center for Juvenile Justice state profiles are another excellent source of state-by-state specifics: www.ncjjservehttp.org/NCJJWebsite/main.html
For details of John Hinckley’s trial, see law professor Doug Linder’s Famous Trials website:
www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/ftrials.htm
A state-by-state summary of laws on the insanity defense, unfortunately without links to the statutes, is on FindLaw:
Chapter 4…. and Punishment
United States Sentencing Commission’s 2010 guidelines: www.ussc.gov/Guidelines/2010_guidelines/index.cfm
National Association of State Sentencing Commissions’ website with links to state guidelines:
www.thenasc.org/aboutnasc.html
The American Probation and Parole Association maintains a directory of state services for community supervision”
www.appa-net.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Webcode=VB_Directory
The Sentencing Project’s March 2011 report on Felony Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States provides statistics and state-by-state information:
www.sentencingproject.org/detail/publication.cfm?publication_id=15&id=131
State sex offender registry websites, from the FBI: www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/registry/registry
National sex offender public registry, maintained by the Department of Justice with links to state registries and statutes:
www.nsopw.gov/Core/Portal.aspx
Studies from the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, a research bureau created by the state legislature, on sex offender sentencing: www.wsipp.wa.gov/topic.asp?cat=10&subcat=55&dteSlct=0
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press offers a primer on access to juvenile courts:
www.rcfp.org/juvcts/index.html
and a state-by-state summary of laws:
www.rcfp.org/juvcts/juvcts_stateindex.html
Death penalty statistics are drawn from the Death Penalty Information Center fact sheet. The DPIC also provides extensive state-by-state information: www.deathpenaltyinfo.org
Chapter 7. Wills, Probate, and Adoption
Several websites reproduce wills of famous people—Michael Jackson, Princess Diana, Walt Disney, Jerry Garcia, and even Napoleon Bonaparte. Search “Famous Wills.”
The British National Archives website includes the wills of Shakespeare and Jane Austen, and a searchable website of historical wills, beginning in 1348: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/wills.asp
For specifics on state marriage and divorce laws, see Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute tables: topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/table_marriage
For state-by-state specifics on adoption, child abuse and neglect, and child welfare laws, consult the amazing database on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Child Welfare Information Gateway site, including searchable access to state laws:
www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/state/index.cfm
The Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute tables mentioned above also include links to state adoption laws:
topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/table_marriage
On access to adoption records, the Child Welfare Information Gateway site includes a lengthy summary of state laws.:
www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/infoaccessapall.pdf
Chapter 8. Legal Miscellany
Here’s a sample probate court petition for declarations of presumed death, from Georgia:
forms.lp.findlaw.com/form/courtforms/state/ga/ga000010.pdf
If your story involves a claim for insurance benefits after a disappearance, take a look at “The Missing Insured and The Life Insurance Death Claim,” by retired insurance company executive Edgar Sentell: findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4023/is_200401/ai_n9391589
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provides resources and a list of state clearinghouses; some also track missing adults or provide links to other databases:
www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/ServiceServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=1421
See the State Department chart of diplomatic immunities:
www.state.gov/m/ds/immunities/c9118.htm
The International Society for the Study of Dissociation and Trauma
website includes informative FAQs, annotated bibliographies on trauma and dissociation, and links for professionals and self-help
For research resources on recovered memories of sexual abuse, see:
And see the child welfare information websites mentioned in Chapter 7.
Chapter 9. Thinking Like a Lawyer
For the American Bar Association’s list of approved schools, statistics, and other information on legal education, see the ABA website:
www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/statistics.html
For the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements and sample form for character and fitness examination, see the National Conference of Bar Examiners:
www.ncbex.org/comprehensive-guide-to-bar-admissions
For details on Washington State’s law clerk program, see:
Chapter 10. Thinking Like a Judge
Salary information is available on the National Center for State Courts Judicial Salary Resource Center:
contentdm.ncsconline.org/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/judicial&CISOPTR=317
For more on court building security, consult the National Center for State Courts 2010 report on best practices:
contentdm.ncsconline.org/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/facilities&CISOPTR=155
Chapter 12. Research and References
For statutes, case law, forms, and other resources, start with Find Law (www.Findlaw.com) and its companion site for legal professionals: lp.findlaw.com
The official government site for statutes, proposed legislation, and lots more.
thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.php
A terrific source for state statutes by topic is the Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute:
topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/state_statutes
Other resources:
Bureau of Justice Statistics: Stats on criminal sentencing, victims, law enforcement, and more, plus FAQs on various topics.
Federal Justice Statistics Resource Center: Online analysis of law enforcement, prosecution, the courts, and incarceration: fjsrc.urban.org/index.cfm
National Center for State Courts: State court stats of all kinds, charts, and directories:
National Center for Juvenile Justice: The state juvenile justice profiles and national court data are particularly useful:
www.ncjjservehttp.org/NCJJWebsite/main.html
The Crime Report: A wide-ranging news and information site sponsored by the Center on Media, Crime and Justice at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and Criminal Justice Journalists, a national organization
U.S. Courts: The official site: www.uscourts.gov
Blawgs:
Ohio State University law professor Doug Berman on sentencing and related topics: His blog also includes numerous links to blogs on other areas of criminal law and general legal interest:
sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy
The SCOTUS blog (www.scotusblog.com)and accompanying wiki, sponsored by a law firm, focuses on the Supreme Court of the United States.
For blogs focusing on the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals, see the Federal Defender web ring:
The ABA Journal’s 2010 “Blawg 100” list of favorites: www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/the_2010_aba_journal_blawg_100