Jacob Bronsther researches the theoretical foundations of criminal law and sentencing. His current projects examine the prohibition on degrading punishment, especially as it applies to forms of incarceration; the limits of retributive proportionality as a sentencing guide; and the legal and moral significance of intentions. Jake is also interested in the relationship between criminal punishment and private law remedies. Along these lines, he is continuing to develop a “corrective justice” theory of punishment, which conceives of deterrent punishment as an equitable remedy—payable to the public—for an offender’s contribution to the criminality in society. Beyond the criminal law, Jake also writes about political partisanship and the legislative process.

Before joining the MSU College of Law, Jake was a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. He received a Ph.D. in Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he studied under Professors Nicola Lacey and Peter Ramsay. Prior to his doctoral work, Jake practiced white collar criminal defense for three years in New York. He earned a J.D. from the New York University School of Law, an M.Phil. in Political Theory from Oxford University (Balliol College), and a double B.A. in Philosophy and Government from Cornell University. Jake was also a Fulbright Scholar to Mauritius.

Jake’s scholarship has appeared or is forthcoming in leading law reviews, such as the Virginia Law Review and the Minnesota Law Review, as well as in faculty-edited journals, such as Legal Theory, Daedalus, Criminal Law & Philosophy, and the New Criminal Law Review.

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Ph.D. London School of Economics and Political Science
J.D. New York University School of Law
M.Phil. Oxford University
B.A. Cornell University