About ASC

The American Society of Criminology is an international organization whose members pursue scholarly, scientific, and professional knowledge concerning the measurement, etiology, consequences, prevention, control, and treatment of crime and delinquency.

Objectives

The Society’s objectives are to encourage the exchange, in a multidisciplinary setting, of those engaged in research, teaching, and practice so as to foster criminological scholarship, and to serve as a forum for the dissemination of criminological knowledge. Our membership includes students, practitioners, and academicians from the many fields of criminal justice and criminology.

Policies

See our Policy Page.

Meetings

The Society conducts an annual meeting devoted to discussions of topics of general interest. Previous meeting themes have included: “Taking Stock: Current Knowledge and Future Priorities;” “The Causes and Consequences of Crime: Multidisciplinary Contributions;” “Criminology, Justice, and Public Policy in the Twenty-First Century”.

Employment Opportunities

The Society sponsors an employment exchange at the annual meetings, and maintains an active professional employment/position listing service as part of the Career Center on the website.

Publications

Members receive the journals Criminology, and Criminology & Public Policy, and a newsletter, The Criminologist. The Society has specialized divisions such as Corrections and Sentencing, Critical Criminology, Women and Crime, International Criminology, and People of Color and Crime, that also distribute newsletters, journals, and announcements on a regular basis.

Awards

The Society recognizes superior academic and professional achievement, and grants a number of awards to both Society members and non-members on an annual basis.

Information Sharing

The Society is actively involved with professional societies of criminology worldwide. This interchange has served to not only enrich the professional experiences of the individual ASC members who are so involved, but has also served to enhance the professional interests of the Society, and the field of criminology/criminal justice as a whole.

Divisions & Committees

There are numerous Society divisions and committees, which provide ASC members with both the opportunity to engage in professional service, and to impact upon the field in a fundamental way.

Join Us

We cordially invite all interested persons to join with us in the objectives of the Society, and to become a member of the American Society of Criminology.