image: A new edition of the bestselling book “Criminal Law in Canada: Cases, Questions, and the Code”, co-authored by associate professor David MacAlister and the late professor emeritus Simon Verdun-Jones recently hit the bookshelves.
Credit: Simon Fraser University
A new edition of the bestselling book “Criminal Law in Canada: Cases, Questions, and the Code”, co-authored by associate professor David MacAlister and the late professor emeritus Simon Verdun-Jones recently hit the bookshelves. This latest version, released March 2025, brings readers up to date with the latest developments in the criminal area, featuring expanded discussion on sentencing, partial defences, bail reform, and more.
The book has long served as the standard text for second-year undergraduate criminology and criminal justice course on criminal law in various colleges and universities across Canada. MacAlister undertook the task of updating the material by reviewing five years' worth of cases and incorporating some fresh pedagogical features that were missing from previous editions.
“The most rewarding aspect of writing the book was the satisfaction it gave me to ensure that Simon's legacy would live on,” says MacAlister. “It was also rewarding to bring myself up to date, reading and synthesizing the last five years of criminal case law and statutory developments.”
Published by Emond Publishing, the latest edition is now available for order online.
In a heartfelt dedication, MacAlister said, “The book is dedicated to Simon's two daughters and my daughter. Simon was very proud of his daughters, just as I am very proud of mine.”