One of the six best law books of 2021, The Times (UK)

"Historians, criminologists, and those with a strong academic interest in policing and criminal justice will learn a great deal from this book."
—Library Journal

"[Peter] Baldwin is a historian who is addressing readers for whom libertarianism may well become an emotional as well as a ratiocinative lifeline, and the wealth of scholarship he marshals is extraordinary. Mind you, there’s not so much as a hint in the book that its author is a libertarian himself, or even harbors any more than very broadly libertarian sympathies. But his masterful handling of the subject matter, as indeed the translatory impetus he gives to the subject itself, is such that his book would make a libertarian of Pol Pot… The book is a feast."
—Andrei Navrozov, The Fleming Foundation

"Concentrating on the modern state's role in combating crime in the US and Europe, Baldwin masterfully blends history, criminal justice, science, and ideology at a very high level... highly recommended."
—CHOICE

"Baldwin’s ambitious all-encompassing view of the emergence of the penal state at the international level is both informative and digestible."
—Law and Politics Book Review

"Command and Persuade is compellingly framed with the question – why do we feel more ‘beleaguered’ by crime even when we ‘objectively have the least to fear’?... the book’s greatest strength is its impressive scope and broad context. Command and Persuade offers a truly longue durée perspective to the issue of crime as a State responsibility. In doing so, Baldwin gives substantial context to criminological perspectives that are often lacking in the literature. Modern criminology – like the social sciences in general – is often guilty of ignoring the world before the Enlightenment. Baldwin’s work will help remedy that. It also brings substantial precision to an often admittedly vague discourse about State power and social control. This is a nuanced picture of multiple government apparatuses gradually developing in response to many impulses and outside stimuli… Command and Persuade is a stimulating book rich with content and a wide scope."
—International Sociology

11/01/2021

Baldwin's (history, UCLA; The Copyright Wars: Three Centuries of Trans-Atlantic Battle) ambitious volume traces the history of policing, imprisonment, and crime across the world, covering a span of centuries. While seemingly no topic is off-limits, the philosophy of crime and punishment takes center stage here: Baldwin explores, at length, questions about what should and shouldn't be punished, whether punishment deters crime, the relationship between religion and law, and the role of the state versus private and community spheres in policing. Baldwin makes interesting points and offers intricately detailed examples, but he bounces quickly from one topic, era, or location to the next, with little room for transitions. While the book's introduction and conclusion provide helpful framing, it remains difficult to take in so much content in a meaningful, cohesive way. VERDICT Historians, criminologists, and those with a strong academic interest in policing and criminal justice will learn a great deal from this book. Readers looking for a more casual or introductory exploration of what it means to punish crime will likely find other resources more suitable.—Sarah Schroeder, Univ. of Washington Bothell