I am a philosopher and a lawyer specializing in criminal justice, legal studies, philosophy of law (primarily criminal law and procedure), applied ethics, and social and political philosophy. I also explore these topics in film, music, and literature. Recently I’ve been writing about the religious philosophy of my favorite science fiction author, Philip K. Dick.
I am associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at California State University, Stanislaus, where I work within the concentration in Criminal Legal Studies. I am also the director of the minor in pre law, coordinator of the Pre-Law Resource Center, and one of the campus pre-law advisers.
My latest book is an edited volume entitled Crime, Violence, Justice: Philosophical Perspectives. It was published by Trivent Publications in May 2025. Here’s the back cover blurb:
Crime, Violence, Justice: Philosophical Perspectives, the inaugural volume in Trivent’s Criminal Justice and Philosophy series, couldn’t be more timely: issues related to crime, violence, and justice are at the forefront of both the news and the scholarly works that attempt to understand how these phenomena intersect with and within one another. Accordingly, the diverse team of researchers collected herein engage in innovative, critical, and global/international debates by addressing the intersection of criminal justice and social, political, ethical, and legal philosophy. Presenting a diverse and wide-ranging study of the current state of law and philosophy, the volume brings law and philosophy into the larger realm of justice studies by operating as a sounding board not only for philosophers and theorists, but also for the legal and institutional practitioners who are tasked with implementing these philosophies of justice in the practical world.
The cover was painted and designed by my wife, Abby (https://www.housefinchstudio.com/) and is based on my photograph of the sanctuary knocker on the door of Durham Cathedral, taken during the 2023 Critical Legal Conference at Durham University.
Chris Turner and I edited a book on Werner Herzog and philosophy. It is available from Lexington Books. I designed the cover based on a photograph by Lena Herzog.