Guide last updated by Balqees Khan, September 2025.
This guide was created by Katherine Read, Principal Library Assistant at the IALS Library.
Email katherine.read@sas.ac.uk
We'd love to hear your comments about this Research Guide.
Email ials@sas.ac.uk
This guide aims to give a brief introduction to the Library's holdings on Criminal Law. Please consult Library Search for complete information on current titles and locations. If you require further assistance please contact us.
Monday-Friday 9:30-17:00
Tel (0)20 7862 5790
Email ials@sas.ac.uk
This Subject Guide only lists a selection of Library resources on Criminal Law. To find additional resources you will need to search on Library Search, which covers the complete holdings of the Library. It is possible to search for books, journals and series of law reports by author, title or keyword.
IALS Library is mostly open access and readers are able to browse the shelves in the main collection. There are two main exceptions to this:
Please request these at the Library Enquiries Desk on the 2nd Floor.
For more information on understanding the catalogue record and further guidance on the location of materials please refer to our guide Classmarks and the Location of Resources in the Library.
The Library classifies textbooks either by jurisdiction (GO13, GA2 etc.) or according to subject area, examples of which include Comparative Law (SB), Public International Law (SG) and Private International Law/ Conflict of Laws (SH). All classmark sections have a FOL section for oversize volumes, which is located on the same floor of the Library.
When you are searching on Library Search for books, please note that only the current edition is held on the open shelves or in the Short Loan collection. IALS has a rich collection of previous editions held in the closed basement and these will display a Depository number on the catalogue. Please request previous editions from the Enquiries Desk on the 2nd floor.
Criminal Law material for England & Wales is shelved at GA2.D.4
European Union Criminal Law material is shelved at GO1.A1.D.4
Comparative Criminal Law material is shelved at SB30
International Criminal Law and Extradition material is shelved at SG95
The following list represents a selection of textbooks on criminal law. Please follow the links to Library Search for further information and location. Titles are available in both print and electronic formats, unless indicated otherwise on the list below.
Aksenova, M., et al (eds). Breaking the cycle of mass atrocities: criminological and socio-legal approaches in international criminal law. 1st ed. 2019 Bloomsbury
Archbold, J. Archbold: Criminal pleading, evidence and practice 2025. 2025 edition. 2024 Sweet & Maxwell
Ashworth, A., & Campbell, L. The criminal process. 5th ed. 2019 OUP (print only)
Bassiouni, M. International criminal law. 3 vols. 3rd ed. 2008 Martinus Nijhoff (print only)
Blackbourn, J. Accountability and review in the counter-terrorist state. 1st ed. 2019 Bristol University Press
Bogg, A., et al (eds). Criminality at work. 1st ed. 2020 OUP (online only)
Cassese, A. International criminal law. 3rd ed. 2013 OUP (print only)
Cassese, A. The Rome statute of the international criminal court. 1st ed. 2002 OUP
Child, J. Simester and Sullivan's criminal law: theory and doctrine. 8th ed. 2022 Hart (print only)
Cryer, R. An introduction to international criminal law and procedure. 5th ed. 2025 CUP (print only)
Dennis, I. Law of evidence. 8th ed. 2024 Sweet & Maxwell (print only)
Dyson, M (ed). Blackstone's statutes on criminal law. 32nd ed. 2022 OUP (print only)
Hirsch, P., & Moser, E (eds). Rights in criminal law: Studies in a new paradigm in criminal law and procedure. 1st ed. 2025 Hart (online only)
Horder, J. Ashworth's principles of criminal law. 10th ed. 2022 OUP (print only)
Liebling, A., et al (eds). Oxford handbook of criminology. 7th ed. 2023 OUP (print only)
Ormerod, D. Smith, Hogan and Ormerod's criminal law. 17th ed. 2024 OUP (print only)
Rigney, S. Fairness and rights in international criminal procedure. 1st ed. 2022 Edinburgh University Press
Rosenthal, I., et al (eds). Gender and international criminal law. 1st ed. 2022 OUP
Schabas, W. Introduction to the international criminal court. 6th ed. 2020 CUP
Stahn, C., & Braga da Silva, R (eds). The international criminal court in its third decade. 1st ed. 2024 Brill/Nijhoff
Wieczorek, I. The legitimacy of EU criminal law. 1st ed. 2020 Hart
Zander, M. Cases and materials on the English legal system. 10th ed. 2007 CUP
Zander, M. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. 9th ed. 2023 Sweet & Maxwell
IALS Library holds a wide selection of current serial titles on criminal law from many different jurisdictions. These are located on all floors of the Library. Titles are available in both print and electronic formats, unless indicated otherwise on the list below. For more detailed help, please refer to the guide on Finding journal articles. The following titles focus particularly on criminal law but there may be relevant articles in less specialised journals.
American journal of criminal law
British journal of criminology
Canadian journal of criminology and criminal justice
Criminal law forum: an international journal
Current issues in criminal justice (AUS) (online only)
Howard journal of crime and justice (UK)
International criminal law review (online only)
Journal of criminal law and criminology (USA)
Journal of international criminal justice
Revue de science criminelle et de droit pénal comparé
Rivista italiana di diritto e procedura penale (print only)
If you are interested in legislation or cases concerning criminal law issues in specific countries you will need to consult the legislation or law reports for that jurisdiction.
Consult Library Search to find the general classmark for the country you require. Consult consolidations of legislation, digests or indexes to trace particular acts or cases.
Academic users may also use databases like Lexis/Westlaw to find UK, US, EU or international decisions. For further information please refer to Law Databases or ask at the Library Enquiry Desk.
Please refer to the serials section of this guide to find relevant law report series.
You may also find it useful to refer to our guides on finding Legislation and Cases or check to see if we have a Jurisdiction Research Guide for the country you are interested in.
Eagle-i is an internet portal maintained and updated by IALS library staff. It allows you to search for quality web resources on criminal law.
The following represent a sample of the available quality individual web resources on criminal law.
Criminal Cases Review Commission (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
Crown Prosecution Service (England and Wales)
Devan Orr 'Searching through systems of the UN Criminal Tribunals' Updated March/April 2024 (Globalex)
Lyonette Louis-Jacques 'Comparative Criminal Procedure: A Select Bibliography'. Updated May/June 2021 (Globalex)