Criminology and moral philosophy : empirical methods and the study of values/

Criminology and Moral Philosophy by 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. --Stephen Satris, Clemson University