The conception of “The Colossal Book of Criminal Citations“ has been an evolution from handwritten notes to a typed manuscript. Creating this book would never have been possible without the sacrifices of great individuals. These individuals made sacrifices of time, effort and financial contributions to build a tool for those many in society deem unworthy of help; the accused, the convicted, and even the innocent men and women serving time in America’s jails and prisons. May all of your lives be forever enriched.

-Richard Davis

Both the Criminal and the Civil Books are topically organized relating to common issues. The Colossal Book contain cases meant to assist the accused before conviction and in matters relating to acquiring post-conviction relief after a criminal conviction. The Civil Book is designed to assist in the preparation and litigation of 42 U.S.C. §1983 civil rights actions involving incarcerated individuals.

The Colossal Book of Criminal Citations

Whether you have professional legal assistance or are engaged in self-representation, The Colossal Book of Criminal Citations is an imperative tool for all accused and convicted criminal defendants. This comprehensive topical collection of case citations will be indispensable in guiding your legal options challenging any potential conviction and sentence.

Regardless of your legal or educational background, The Colossal Book of Criminal Citations will help you understand and challenge the many aspects of your own criminal case. Whether you are an inmate, legal advocate or jailhouse lawyer, this book is an essential topical collection of criminal case citations to be the bridge between accusation and justice. This book includes:

  • Over 200+ Legal Topics
  • Over 6600+ Criminal References
  • U.S. Supreme, Circuit, District, and State Court Citations
  • 500+ Legal Definitions
  • Sample Jury Instructions
  • Juror Selection Questions with Sample Written Questionnaire
  • State Innocence Project Addresses
  • District Court Addresses
  • Prosecution Trial Strategies Revealed

The Colossal Book of Criminal Citations (7th Edition) by Richard Davis is $109.95 (s/h included), 8.5 x 11, softcover, and contains 900+ pages. We believe this book would greatly assist anyone in the pursuit of criminal relief. The latest edition of our book contains State Court case references with concise descriptions and quotations to enhance legal arguments in the post-conviction process. This book contains 200+ topically organized sections for easy reference. Some of the legal topics include:

  • Character and Bad Act Evidence
  • Fair Notice and Exhaustion
  • CSAAS
  • False Testimony
  • Sentencing
  • Confrontation Clause
  • Federal Habeas Filing Deadlines
  • SO Registration 
  • Custody and Arrest
  • Federal Habeas Relief
  • Speedy Trial
  • Discovery and Disclosure
  • Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
  • Warrantless Searches
  • Expert Witnesses
  • Jury Selection
  • Warrants

In addition to these and other topics, The Colossal Book of Criminal Citations contains a 500+ word legal dictionary, sample motions, select federal statutes and addresses for numerous innocence project organizations. The citations referenced in this book will enhance all court filings with accurate case references and help to present the best legal arguments possible.

The Colossal Book of Civil Citations

The Colossal Book of Civil Citations (Second Edition). This book by Richard Davis is $69.95 (s/h included), 8.5 x 11, softcover, and contains 300+ pages. Organized similar to our criminal book, this book is topically organized and designed to assist in the preparation and litigation of 42 U.S.C. §1983 civil rights actions involving incarcerated individuals. This book contains 1000+ U.S. Supreme, Federal, District and State Court case references with brief descriptions and quotations to assist in the pursuit of civil remedies. Additionally, this book contains 40+ topically organized sections for easy reference. Some of the legal topics include:

  • Access to Courts
  • Disciplinary Hearings
  • Prison Medical Care
  • Clearly Established
  • Discovery and Disclosure
  • Qualified Immunity
  • Complaints
  • Environmental Tobacco Smoke
  • Remedies
  • Conditions of Confinement
  • Exhaustion of Remedies
  • Retaliation
  • Deliberate Indifference
  • Medical Contractors
  • Summary Judgment

In addition to these and other topics, The Colossal Book of Civil Citations contains a 500+ word legal dictionary, a sample civil complaint, trial motions and select federal statutes. We believe this book would greatly assist everyone pursuing a civil action involving issues associated with incarceration. The citations referenced in this book will support court filings with accurate case references and help to present the best legal arguments possible.

If you have never studied law before, reading case decisions is one of the easiest starting points to become familiar with the law. Our legal system is based on the principle of stare decisis. This means that the court system must abide by or adhere to previously decided cases. If you find yourself convicted of any crime, undoubtedly, you will question if that principle is actually true.

When filing any criminal pleading, it is important to understand the authority of the case law referenced in your legal argument. For example, if you are challenging an issue in state court, that court is only obligated to follow its Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court precedent. Filing a pleading with references to another state’s decision or outside circuit court determinations, while persuasive, is not controlling in state court. A state court will usually only consider a persuasive authority from outside the state when there is no established authority within that state’s Supreme Court or the U.S. Supreme Court. Generally, try to utilize the most controlling case for the court in which your pleading is filed. In a state proceeding, always try to utilize the U.S. Supreme Court controlling authority first, with the state controlling authority second. Utilizing a state’s applicable circuit court precedent as persuasive authority in your state pleading will make pursuing federal habeas relief easier if such relief may be needed.

Before relying on any case that you find in this book, acquire and read the entire case to understand the context in which the point was made. Keep in mind that the law changes continually as cases are decided. The cases that have been included in this book only represent a small section of published cases with each topic.

Barkan Research wishes you the best in your current legal endeavor and we hope you consider purchasing one or both of our books. We also ask that you share with other individuals within your facility the availability of our books. We are a small business and currently do not provide free books directly to inmates. As we grow through additional sales, that may merit future reconsideration. Importantly, our content is driven through customer feedback. Once individuals have purchased our books, we desire to hear from them so we can continue to enhance a book’s content. Originally, we started only with The Colossal Book of Criminal Citations. Customers requested a civil book as a companion, and we created one due to our customer’s feedback.