Books by James B. Jacobs

A comprehensive assessment of real gun reform legislation with recommendations for better design, implementation and enforcementA month after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, New York State passed, with record speed, the first and most comprehensive state post-Sandy Hook gun control law. In The Toughest Gun Control Law in the Nation, James B. Jacobs and Zoe Fuhr ask whether the 2013 SAFE Act -hailed by Governor Andrew Cuomo as "the nation's toughest gun control law" - has lived up to its promise. Jacobs and Fuhr illuminate the gap between gun control on the books and gun control in action. They argue that, to be effective, gun controls must be capable of implementation and enforcement. This requires realistic design, administrative and enforcement capacity and commitment and ongoing political and fiscal support. They show that while the SAFE Act was good symbolic politics, most of its provisions were not effectively implemented or, if implemented, not enforced. Gun control in a society awash with guns poses an immense regulatory challenge. The Toughest Gun Control Law in the Nation takes a tough-minded look at the technological, administrative, fiscal and local political impediments to effectively keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous persons and eliminating some types of guns altogether.

Demonstrating the remarkable range of Cosa Nostra's activities and influence in the urban power structure of New York City, this work argues that 20th-century organized crime has been no minor annoyance at the periphery of society, but a major force in the core economy.

For 60 million Americans a criminal record overshadows everything else about their identity. Citizens have a right to know when someone around them represents a threat. But convicted persons have rights too. James Jacobs examines the problem of erroneous records and proposes ways to eliminate discrimination for those who have been rehabilitated.

Illuminates the extraordinary power of organized crime at the center of legitimate society

Since Prohibition, the Mafia has captivated the media and, indeed, the American imagination. From Al Capone to John Gotti, organized crime bosses have achieved notoriety as anti- heroes in popular culture. This title presents an overview of the forces and events that led in the 1980s to the organized crime control initiatives in American history.

Documents organized crime's exploitation of organized labor and the massive federal clean-up effort. This book explains how Cosa Nostra families gained a foothold in the labor movement, and used this power to become part of the political and economic power structure of 20th-century urban America.