StudiGuide 5: Introduction to California Criminal Law

Study Guide for the California Police Academy (P.O.S.T.) Written Examination

This StudiGuide course provides a practice review-testing resource for police academy cadets (based on the state of California’s Commission on Peace Officer Standard and Training 'POST' requirements) to help understand and pass the POST written examinations.

IDENTIFY:

· the relationship among Constitutional law, Statutory law and Case law

· the basic elements common to all crimes

· the basic elements required of an attempt to commit a crime

· the three classes of crime as a Felony, Misdemeanor and Infraction

· the people legally incapable of committing a crime

RECALL the statutory definition of a crime

DIFFERENTIATE between:

· the letter of the law and the spirit of the law

· criminal and civil law

· criminal intent and criminal negligence

· the three parties to a crime, to include Principals, Accessories and Accomplices

DISCUSS general, specific and transferred intent crimes

Selected information from this written examination will also appear on your Mid-Course and End-of-Course Proficiency Tests.