General Defences in Criminal Law

The law relating to general defences is one of the most important areas in the criminal law, yet the current state of the law in the UK reveals significant problems in the adoption of a consistent approach to their doctrinal and theoretical underpinnings, as exemplified by a number of recent developments in legislation and case law. A coherent and joined-up approach is still missing. This volume provides an analysis of the main contentious areas in British law, and proposes ways forward for reform.