This panel will assemble scholars who critically engage criminal law in their writing and teaching. Critical engagement rigorously examines the foundations, practices, and effects of the criminal adjudication system. It goes beyond doctrinal analysis to interrogate how power, inequality, and systemic bias shape the development and operation of criminal law and procedure. Panelist will present (a) scholarly projects that examine criminal law through a critical lens, including projects focused on scrutinizing the role of state power in managing marginalized people and situating criminal law within broader historical, political, and social developments; (b) advanced seminars that explore critical engagement with the criminal adjudication system; and (c) innovative pedagogical techniques that engage students in a critical assessment of criminal law topics.