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Review copies available from Katherine_LaVela@press.princeton.edu; (609) 258-3897
Review copies available from Katherine_LaVela@press.princeton.edu; (609) 258-3897
International Problem-Solving Courts, by James L. Nolan
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., May 29, 2009 -- James L. Nolan Jr., professor of sociology at Williams College, is the author of "Legal Accents, Legal Borrowing: The International Problem-Solving Court Movement," published by Princeton University Press.
Over the past two decades, problem-solving courts have been developed in both the United States and internationally. This new breed of courts includes drug courts, community courts, domestic violence courts, and mental health courts. Rather than just adjudicating offenders, judges in these innovative courts attempt to solve defendants' problems, thus taking criminal justice in an unusual and unprecedented direction.
Between 1998 and 2008, Nolan visited over 50 problem-solving courts in England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and the U.S. In addition to observing court processes, he interviewed government officials, judges, lawyers, and other court staff in order to make sense of the particular forms these courts have assumed in different legal-cultural contexts.
Nolan's book investigates the international transplantation of these courts and what this legal borrowing reveals about cultural differences in an era of globalization. In adopting the therapeutic paradigm endemic to these courts, foreign nations may unintentionally import features of American culture that challenge their own cultural sensibilities.
Nolan writes, "Without a deeper understanding of the ongoing dialectic between law and culture, importers can underestimate the degree to which these programs carry with them unwished-for -- even openly denigrated -- features of American culture. The infusion of such cultural qualities, whether welcomed or resented, portends to fundamentally alter understandings of justice in the receiving countries."
Yale sociologist Kai Erikson says of Nolan's book: "This is a first-rate study in every respect ... I was drawn in from the first page. Thoughtful and well-crafted, the book sets a high standard."
Malcolm Feeley, of U.C. Berkeley School of Law writes: "Nolan has established himself as one of the world's leading experts on the powerful movement to promote these courts internationally. Cosmopolitan and erudite, this book can be read with enormous profit by students, scholars, and practitioners on at least three continents."
Nolan is the author of two other books, "The Therapeutic State: Justifying Government at Century's End" and "Reinventing Justice: The American Drug Court Movement."
His work has been published in a number of journals and edited volumes, including Sociological Forum, The Sociological Quarterly, and American Criminal Law Review. He has published two edited books: "The American Culture Wars: Current Contests and Future Prospects" and "Drug Courts: In Theory and In Practice"; and he has received numerous awards in support of his research, including a Fulbright Scholarship for 1999-2000.
Nolan has been at Williams since 1996. He teaches Invitation to Sociology, Exploring the American Culture Wars, Law and Modern Society, Ways of Knowing, and Technology and Modern Society.
From 2004 to 2006, he was director of the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford University and a visiting fellow at the Centre for Criminology at Oxford University.
He received his B.A. from the University of California, Davis and his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.
END
Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college's 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students' educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions are made regardless of a student's financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted. To visit the college on the Internet:www.williams.edu
Over the past two decades, problem-solving courts have been developed in both the United States and internationally. This new breed of courts includes drug courts, community courts, domestic violence courts, and mental health courts. Rather than just adjudicating offenders, judges in these innovative courts attempt to solve defendants' problems, thus taking criminal justice in an unusual and unprecedented direction.
Between 1998 and 2008, Nolan visited over 50 problem-solving courts in England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and the U.S. In addition to observing court processes, he interviewed government officials, judges, lawyers, and other court staff in order to make sense of the particular forms these courts have assumed in different legal-cultural contexts.
Nolan's book investigates the international transplantation of these courts and what this legal borrowing reveals about cultural differences in an era of globalization. In adopting the therapeutic paradigm endemic to these courts, foreign nations may unintentionally import features of American culture that challenge their own cultural sensibilities.
Nolan writes, "Without a deeper understanding of the ongoing dialectic between law and culture, importers can underestimate the degree to which these programs carry with them unwished-for -- even openly denigrated -- features of American culture. The infusion of such cultural qualities, whether welcomed or resented, portends to fundamentally alter understandings of justice in the receiving countries."
Yale sociologist Kai Erikson says of Nolan's book: "This is a first-rate study in every respect ... I was drawn in from the first page. Thoughtful and well-crafted, the book sets a high standard."
Malcolm Feeley, of U.C. Berkeley School of Law writes: "Nolan has established himself as one of the world's leading experts on the powerful movement to promote these courts internationally. Cosmopolitan and erudite, this book can be read with enormous profit by students, scholars, and practitioners on at least three continents."
Nolan is the author of two other books, "The Therapeutic State: Justifying Government at Century's End" and "Reinventing Justice: The American Drug Court Movement."
His work has been published in a number of journals and edited volumes, including Sociological Forum, The Sociological Quarterly, and American Criminal Law Review. He has published two edited books: "The American Culture Wars: Current Contests and Future Prospects" and "Drug Courts: In Theory and In Practice"; and he has received numerous awards in support of his research, including a Fulbright Scholarship for 1999-2000.
Nolan has been at Williams since 1996. He teaches Invitation to Sociology, Exploring the American Culture Wars, Law and Modern Society, Ways of Knowing, and Technology and Modern Society.
From 2004 to 2006, he was director of the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford University and a visiting fellow at the Centre for Criminology at Oxford University.
He received his B.A. from the University of California, Davis and his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.
END
Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college's 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students' educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions are made regardless of a student's financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted. To visit the college on the Internet:www.williams.edu
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