The Model Penal Code (MPC) is a legal framework developed by the American Law Institute (ALI) to standardize and modernize U.S. criminal law. It serves as a guideline for states to draft or revise their criminal statutes. Keep reading or watch this short video to learn how to locate the Model Penal Code in HeinOnline.
Locating the Model Penal Code
You can find the Model Penal Code in HeinOnline’s American Law Institute Libary. The Model Penal Code is located in the Codifications and Studies subcollection of the American Law Institute Library, listed alphabetically.
Here, you’ll not only find the Model Penal Code, but you also have access to content relating specifically to sexual assault and sentencing.
Trace the evolution of the Model Penal Code, starting with the Preliminary and Working Drafts, where legal scholars laid the foundation of its principles. Move through the Tentative Drafts, where proposals were rigorously debated and refined. Then, shift to the Council Drafts, where critical revisions were made before being formalized in the Proposed Final Drafts. Finally, conclude with the proposed Official Text, the definitive version that shaped modern criminal law.
For additional guidance, be sure to check out our LibGuide for expert tips on navigating this collection. Happy researching!
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HeinOnline’s American Law Institute Library is a digital collection that provides easy access to invaluable American Law Institute projects and documents that have influenced modern law and society. The American Law Institute (ALI) is the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law. The Institute is made up of lawyers, judges, and law professors of the highest qualifications. It drafts, discusses, revises, and publishes Restatements of the Law, model statutes, and Principles of the Law that are enormously influential in the courts and legislatures, as well as in legal scholarship and education. ALI has long been influential internationally and, in recent years, more of its work has become international in scope.
This database includes:
- Restatements of the Law – current and historical!
- Principles of the Law
- Uniform Commercial Code
- ALI-ABA Books and Periodicals
- ALI Reporter
- and much more!
