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Criminology and Moral Philosophyby Jacobs (John Jay College, CUNY) is an informed, articulate examination of important forms of normativity and the relations between facts and values in the context of criminology. Careful attention is given to topics such as the relation between law and morality, the very concept of the rule of law, the normativity of the concept of criminality, the justification of sanction, and the interaction between morality and the law. Through the book, Jacobs discusses such formative thinkers as David Hume, Aristotle, Simon Blackburn, Anthony Bottoms, Philip Pettit, John Braithwaite, H. L. A. Hart, J. L. Austin, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Max Weber, David Wiggins, and Bernard Williams, among many other thinkers and social scientists. The discussions are rather high level, though Jacobs does include some reports of day-to-day prison life in the words of prisoners themselves. The book is thus wide-ranging and groundbreaking in linking recent developments in philosophy and criminology.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals.

Following a tradition of operating prisons crudely, American carceral institutions, unsurprisingly, also experience high levels of intramural violence and rules violations. Incarcerated offenders then face additional punishment: solitary or, more appropriately termed, a period in a restricted housing unit (RHU). About 60,000 to 80,000 are so confined in prisons and jails each day. Rudes (Sam Houston State Univ.), two colleagues, and more than a score of undergraduate, graduate, and scholarly researchers offer a brilliant "behind the walls" ethnographic study of incarcerated persons and security staffs. The research team penetrated RHUs of seven unidentified medium-security state prisons for their structured interviews. One female prison was included. The result is an exceptionally candid, far-ranging articulation of issues. Rudes properly expresses gratitude to the unnamed state Department of Corrections that allowed this fact-finding over two years. Results could improve corrections policies. Predictably, conclusions are damning: RHUs cause harm to residents without empirical evidence of behavioral benefits. The environment also impairs staff because of higher psychological, social, and physical sequelae. Is there anything better? The author alludes to the Norwegian prison model and reform measures in North Dakota and other states.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals.