After 24 years, I am stepping down in my role as Editor-in-Chief and passing on the journal responsibilities to Dr. Sheila Maxwell, associate professor at Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice (MSU), who is currently serving as Associate Editor.
Dr. Maxwell, a graduate of Rutgers State University, is a very distinguished and able scholar. She will serve her role well in taking the journal to greater heights, achievements, visibility, and recognition. In the summer of 2023 (Volume 47, Issue 3), Dr. Maxwell will assume her role as the new Editor-in-Chief. I will continue to be associated with the journal in other functions as needed.
A quick recall and a brief background for new readers. For more than 46 years, the International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice (IJCACJ) has been a leading source for bringing together research contributions to the world community of criminologists on important matters relating to crime and justice. The journal was founded in 1977 by Professor Dae Chang at Wichita State University (WSU) and relocated its operation to MSU, his alma mater, in 1999 when he retired from his academic position. MSU appointed me as Editor-in-Chief the same year.
The core mission of this nearly 50-year-old journal is to encourage, promote, and advance criminal justice scholarship in key research areas in criminal justice from around the world. The second mission of IJCACJ is its focus on international and comparative perspectives in crime and justice. IJCACJ has developed a unique and growing constituency. With its broad but distinctive interdisciplinary focus on comparative and applied criminal justice, the journal served an area of scholarship that was not adequately covered by any journal before the launch of the IJCACJ. With the advancement of international and cross-national empirical research on crime and criminal justice, IJCACJ has developed a reputation for hosting and nurturing social science and humanities research that addresses the diverse ways in which academics and practitioners apply the findings to practice and policy.
The journal encouraged and promoted research from criminologists from the under-represented parts of the world whose ideas and scholarship were less known in the developed world. Through this mission, comparative analysis of cross-cultural theories of crime, legal systems, policing, courts, juvenile justice, women offenders, and minority offenders was given visibility and room to expand the scope of comparative criminal justice, which at that time was primarily driven by Western pedagogies and European and North American centric criminology.
Over the years, the journal has also covered both traditional criminal justice issues and many emerging issues that often remain on the fringe. Consequently, efforts were devoted to identifying and developing special issues on emerging thematic crime and justice issues for the times. Topics for special issues included nomadic and aboriginal populations, female criminality, police legitimacy, money laundering, intimate partner/domestic violence, product counterfeiting, human trafficking, wildlife crime management, conversation criminology, terrorism, crime and fear of crime in public spaces, methodological issues in comparative criminology, and CSW66 (The Commission on the Status of Women agenda on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies, and programs). In addition, country-specific (Finland, Japan, Russia) and regional (Ibero-America) special issues were also published during this time. Because of IJCACJ’s efforts to include discussions from a broad theoretical, methodological, and disciplinary range, it appeals to and attracts academics across various subject areas. The journal’s international approach is illustrated by articles published from over 90 countries worldwide that have appeared since the journal first began.
In 2005, the journal adopted by American Society of Criminology (ASC)’s Division of International Criminology (DIC) as its official journal. The partnership with the DIC ended in 2020 when the division launched its own journal.
IJCACJ continued to grow in recognition and circulation, thanks mainly to high-quality submissions from scholars in the field and the affiliation. To further develop the IJCACJ and to make it even more accessible to readers, contributors, and libraries, in 2011, all of the publishing aspects of the journal were acquired by Routledge, Taylor, and Francis Group (T&F). Our sincere thanks and appreciation to Matthew Derbyshire, Editorial Director at R&T, who at the time was the editor of the criminology section, facilitated the smooth transition to the online format. Jackie Fernholz, Portfolio Manager, has stepped into the role of Matthew’s former position and continues to offer able assistance and guidance in the smoothing publishing of the journal. Many thanks to Jackie!
The publication of four issues per year by T&R is now done as both hardcopy and online. All prior volumes were digitised and made accessible as online resources. The number of submissions has increased, the review time reduced, and the overall turnaround process from submission to the final printing of accepted manuscripts improved significantly from prior years.
The journal now has access to readers worldwide via sales packages with institutions and as part of Routledge’s Social Sciences and Humanities Library (SSH Library). Further, Routledge is committed to a wide distribution of its journals to non-profit institutions in developing countries. The number of full-text downloads has increased significantly since 2014, from 12,556 to 68,793 in 2022. Articles are downloaded from all world regions, mainly North America and Northern and Central Europe.
The journal’s progress is very positive and continues to strengthen. Submissions have increased in recent years, and the journal continues to see continued interest from scholars worldwide.
Its presence in key abstracting and indexing databases is also increasing. It has long been indexed in the primary criminal justice databases, including NCJRS and Criminal Justice Abstracts. Since 2014, Scopus and the Emerging Social Sciences Indexes have also indexed the journal. The SCImago Index shows that that journal ranks Quartile 1 in Law and Quartile 2 in Social Psychology and Sociology and Political Science. Excitingly, IJCACJ will receive its first Impact Factor in the summer of 2023.
I am writing to express our sincere appreciation and many thanks to the manuscript reviewers who gave much time and enthusiastic feedback on the many manuscripts they have reviewed over the past years. Their professionalism, service, and compassion in their support for the community of scholars make the journal a huge success.
Our Editorial Board members and reviewers are instrumental in providing a rapid and efficient editorial process and maintaining high standards within our field. We have greatly benefitted from their experience and wisdom and are genuinely grateful for their time and contributions to the journal. While some editorial board members retired, others have generously chosen to rotate their position to offer other scholars the opportunity to gain experience and contribute their talents performing editorial duties.
We take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to new board members who have agreed to serve the board for the coming term of 3 years. They are Ieke de Vries (Universiteit Leiden), Tessa Diphoorn (University of Utrecht), Beth Huebner (Arizona State University), Jacinta Gau, (University of Central Florida), Jeff Gruenewald (University of Arkansas), Anna Gurinskaya (Michigan State University), Ramiro Martinez (Northeastern University), Amy Nivette (Utrecht University), Holly Nguyen (Penn State University), Jennifer Peck (University of Central Florida), Mateus Renno Santos (University of Southern Florida), Gohar Petrossian (City University of New York), Sylwia Piatkowska (Florida State University), Cesar J. Rebellon (George Mason University), Jukka Savolainen (Wayne State University), and Justice Tankebe (Cambridge University).
In closing, a warm welcome to Dr. Sheila Maxwell as the new Editor-in-Chief. I wish her success in taking this journal to new heights in recognition and visibility worldwide.