From both a dogmatic legal standpoint and a sociological perspective, this textbook provides an in-depth and well-founded overview of the fundamentals of material criminal law and criminal procedural law, including juvenile criminal law and the alternatives of restorative justice. It will appeal to both students of social work and practitioners in this field, among others social workers, social education workers, mediators, forensic psychiatrists and those working in correctional institutions. The book describes material criminal and procedural law in detail so that the processes and structures of criminal law can be understood and then applied in practice. Moreover, it provides law students and those working in the field of criminal law with an introduction to criminal law thinking and, at the same time, sociological and criminological insights into the application and practice of criminal law. The book ends with a comprehensive glossary of terms.