The Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section recently published a new manual, “Prosecuting Computer Crimes,” that explains most of the federal computer crime statutes and analyzes sentencing and jurisdictional issues as well. I disagree with some of the positions adopted in the manual, but it’s a very useful resource for those wanting to get started in the field. It’s also essential reading if you’re a defense attorney in a federal computer crime case and you want to know what positions the government is likely to adopt.