This book provides a clear and accessible account and analysis of French criminal law in English, the first to have been written. French criminal law has been highly influential in the development of criminal law in civil law countries around the world, and a knowledge of French criminal law has become increasingly important in view of the internationalisation and Europeanisation of criminal law. The book provides a historical introduction to the development of French criminal law, and a chapter on French criminal procedure to provide the context for an understanding of substantive criminal law. Subsequent chapters cover the general principles of French criminal law, analysing actus reus, mens rea, parties to crime, inchoate offences and general defences. The major offences are then considered chapter by chapter, and an Appendix provides in both French and English the key provisions of the French Criminal Code.