The Sanctity of Life and the Criminal Law

Described by The New York Times as 'Britain's foremost scholar of criminal law', Professor Glanville Williams was one of the greatest academic lawyers of the twentieth century. To mark the centenary of his birth in 2011, leading criminal law theorists and medical law ethicists from around the world were invited to contribute essays discussing the sanctity of life and criminal law while engaging with Williams' many contributions to these fields. In re-examining his work, the contributors have produced a provocative set of original essays that make a significant contribution to the current debate in these areas.1. Glanville Llewelyn Williams, 1911-1997: a biographical note Peter Glazebrook; 2. Glanville's inspiration George P. Fletcher; 3. Preventive orders and the rule of law Andrew Ashworth; 4. The specialness of the general part of the criminal law Michael S. Moore; 5. Four distinctions that Glanville Williams did not make: the practical benefits of examining the interrelation among criminal law doctrines Paul H. Robinson; 6. Reflections on Dudley and Stephens and killing the innocent: taking a wrong conceptual path Joshua Dressler; 7. Intention revisited Antony Duff; 8. A disintegrated theory of culpability Andrew Simester; 9. Sir Michael Foster, Professor Williams and complicity in murder Sir Roger Toulson; 10. Mental disorder and sexual consent: Williams and after John Stanton-Ife; 11. Williams v. Kamisar on euthanasia: a classic debate revisited John Keown; 12. The failure of the defence of necessity as a mechanism of legal change on assisted dying in the common law world Penney Lewis; 13. The duty to preserve life and its limits in English criminal law Antje du Bois-Pedain; 14. Professing criminal law A. T. H. Smith.