The American Society of Criminology (ASC) is an international organization based on the campus of

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

whose members focus on the study of

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

and delinquency. It aims to grow and disseminate scholarly research, with members working in many disciplines and on different levels in the fields of

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

and

criminology Criminology (from Latin , 'accusation', and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'', 'word, reason') is the interdisciplinary study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is a multidisciplinary field in both the behaviou ...

. The Society and its members also seek to strengthen the role of research in the formulation of public policy. To further these goals, the Society holds an annual meeting that attracts some 4,000+ attendees from roughly 40 countries.

History

The society traces its history back to a meeting of seven men at the home of retired Berkeley Police Department chief and

professor August Vollmer on December 30, 1941. The meeting was said to be "for the purpose of furthering college police training and standardizing police training curricula". Establishing itself as the National Association of College Police Training Officials (NACPTO), the group elected Vollmer, who was due to be deployed into the military following the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

, as President-Emeritus and Orlando W. Wilson as president. After the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the NACPTO underwent a reorganization in 1946 and became known as the Society for the Advancement of Criminology (SAC). In June 1950, the society became affiliated with the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

, and in December of that year, was accepted into the International Society of Criminology. The SAC officially changed its name to the American Society of Criminology in November 1957.

Divisions

The Society has a number of divisions. They have been established at different times over its history, from the Division of International Criminology established in 1981 to the Division of Public Opinion and Policy established in 2021.

Publications

The Society publishes a newsletter, ''The Criminologist,'' and two journals. The journal ''

Criminology Criminology (from Latin , 'accusation', and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'', 'word, reason') is the interdisciplinary study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is a multidisciplinary field in both the behaviou ...

'' has been published since 1963. It is generally regarded as the leading journal in the field, and is distributed worldwide. The journal '' Criminology & Public Policy'' has been published since 2001. Many of the Society divisions also publish journals and newsletters.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:American Society Of Criminology Criminology organizations Organizations established in 1941 Crime in the San Francisco Bay Area Organizations based in Berkeley, California Learned societies of the United States

History

Divisions

Publications

See also

References

External links