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Library Journal Review

Since its establishment, the field of American criminology has been dominated by liberal scholars. But, over the past ten years, neoconservatism has become a force in criminology. Wilson, the leading advocate of this right-ward move, and Herrnstein, who is noted for his work on I.Q., race, and meritocracy, have written what should become the major source on this important development in criminology. Its moderate, Aristotelian behavioral theory is reminiscent of Edward Banfield's Unheavenly City Revisited and Ernest Van Den Haag's Punishing Criminals , but this book probably will have greater impact than either of these or any of Wilson's and Herrnstein's earlier writings. It will be praised by many and criticized by others who will complain that it does not expose the proper ``myths about crime,'' does not explain why ``the rich get richer and the poor get prison,'' and turns attention away from the corrupting influence of modern institutions. Essential reading for anyone seriously interested in crime or human nature. John Broderick, Sociology Department, Stone hill College, N. Easton, Mass. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Bound to be controversial, this book argues for the importance of constitutional and individual factors in the causation of crime. The book is written by two prominent Harvard professors: Wilson (government) authored Thinking about Crime (CH, Oct '75), and Herrnstein (psychology), is author of IQ and the Meritocracy (1973). Drawing upon a wide range of materials from several disciplines, this ambitious analysis explains crime by examining the role of gender, age, race, intelligence, personality and psychopathology, the family, school, as well as community, the labor market, television, alcohol and drugs, history, culture, punishment, and personal responsibility. Choosing Aristotle's approach to human nature, rather than that of Bentham or Rousseau, the authors have produced a provocative distillation of the scholarly literature on the correlates and causes of crime; and they appropriately call our attention to the importance of constitutional factors and physiological predispositions. However, many of Wilson and Herrnstein's assertions are based on old studies that are severely flawed methodologically; their arguments are therefore unconvincing, open to debate, and invite alternate interpretations. An appendix, footnotes, more than 50 pages of references, and an index are included. Though technical in parts, this volume is certain to interest and provoke general readers.-C.S. Widom, Indiana University