Book Review: Logan, J. S. (2008). Good Punishment? Christian Moral Practice and U.S. Imprisonment. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. x, 261 pp

• Date: 01 December 2009
• Author: Shani P. Gray
• Published date: 01 December 2009
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016809332180
• Subject Matter: Articles

tolerance for diversity. Thus, it is not surprising that the court staff were conflicted about the utility

of treatment sanction as a therapeutic tool.

Using a very sharp tone in chapter 6, Whiteacre further questions the efficacy of drug testing in

therapeutic outcomes. He cites other studies showing ‘‘advancesin drug testing surveillance technol-

ogy may be fueling a technologically determined overreliance on these measures without consider-

ation of their actual usefulness’’ (p. 83). Whiteacre also notes that the heavy emphasis on drug testing

may indicate the general orientation ‘‘toward increasing institutional supervision and control of indi-

viduals more so than demonstrated treatment benefits’’ (p. 88). Reporting that the staff saw drug test-

ing as an important component of the program, he states that the juveniles, however, regarded it as a

control mechanism.

Success is the topic of chapter 7. Acknowledging the difficulty of defining ‘‘success’’ in drug

treatment courts, Whiteacre surmises that the stakeholders had different definitions of the term from

their vantage points. The juveniles deemed getting their drug charges dropped as a major benefit

although they minimized other benefits such as better family connections and reduced drug usages.

In contrast, staff members were more sanguine about those benefits that the juveniles valued less.

Whiteacre concludes the book in chapter 8 by raising additional concerns about defining success

in drug court programs. He again questions the domineering literature paradigm that coercion in the

form of surveillance and punishment breeds success in drug courts. He argues that his research indi-

cated, ‘‘success occurred through conversation, openness to others’ experiences, and true dialogue’’

(p. 110).

As an explorative case study, Whiteacre’s methodology of purposively selecting participants can-

not be faulted. Had the study not been a case study, questions could have legitimately been raised

about the methodology. Regardless, readers might still wonder whether the study is biased because

the author was working for the court during the study. Whiteacre admits such possibility but stresses

that his position might have enabled more forthrightness by the participants. I recommend this book

for scholars and practitioners alike because it expands our knowledge of why drug courts do or do not

work.

Salmon A. Shomade

University of New Orleans

Logan, J. S. (2008). Good Punishment? Christian Moral Practice and

U.S. Imprisonment. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. x, 261 pp.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016809332180

In his book Good Punishment, Logan argues that Christian theologians and ethicists have not con-

ducted an efficient and practical critical investigation of the problem of imprisonment in the United

States and its associated problems (e.g., injustice and social disorganization). Addressing this

‘‘lacuna’’ is one of the primary purposes of his book. Another primary purpose of the book, if not

the ultimate purpose, is to present a Christian social ethic of ‘‘good punishment’’that is constructive,

not absolute or hegemonic, appealing to the human concern for maintaining the common good, and

practically applicable to the problem of imprisonment and its ‘‘collateral social consequences.’’

Logan begins the book by discussing the current status of American prisons. For example, the

United States only comprises 6% of the world’s population but its prisons house 25% of the world’s

prisoners. He goes on to discuss topics such as offender characteristics, factors that affect

Book Reviews 503