Content
UPCOMING THEMES
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Plural Policing in the Global South: Navigating Hybridity and Security Partnerships (May 2026)
Call for Papers
Co-Editors: Danielle Watson (danielle.watson@qut.edu.au); Francis Boateng (fboateng@olemiss.edu)
This special issue seeks original contributions on plural policing in the Global South. We welcome papers that highlight variances in law and order maintenance arrangements, primarily in contexts where state policing is recognized as an adapted colonial import that exists alongside local and indigenous governance mechanisms, which at times exist parallel or in conflict with each other. Primary consideration will be given to empirical papers that explore plural policing and one of the following: globalization, legitimacy, hybridity, security privatization or non-conformity with colonial ideas about policing in former colonies. We also welcome theoretical contributions that provide insight into scholarly acknowledgement of an ideological shift away from the recognition of state police serving as the sole stakeholder organization with a responsibility for maintaining law, order and peaceful communities across diverse spaces in the Global South context.
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Interdisciplinary studies on socio-political and socio-economic determinants of violence (August 2026)
Call for Papers
Co-Editors: Lisa Gittner (lisa.gittner@ttuhsc.edu); Jeff Dennis (Jeff.dennis@ttuhsc.edu); Robert Forbis (forbisr@mail.wou.edu) ; Jerry Stott (jerry.stott@utah.edu); Dennis Patterson (dennis.patterson@ttu.edu); Robert S. Levine (Robert.Levine@bcm.edu)
This special issue will address the political, social, and economic determinants of violence. We encourage papers from a multitude of disciplines on how these determinants shape violence. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodological approaches are acceptable. The papers should consider the interdisciplinary aspects of violence. A focus on how socio-political and socio-economic forces shape criminal justice, law and policy, and public health is requested. A discussion of the administration of law and policy responses to violence in addition to political, social, and economic determinants is also appropriate. We will accept research papers, commentaries, and theoretical contributions.
Initial abstracts (1 page, 12 point font, 1 inch margins) should be sent to Lisa Gittner (lisa.gittner@ttuhsc.edu) and are due February 1, 2025 with acceptance notification to develop a full paper by March 1, 2025.
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Cryptocurrency Fraud and Criminal Opportunities (November 2026)
Call for Papers
Co-Editors: Brandon Dulisse (Bdulisse@ut.edu); Nathan Connealy (Nconnealy@ut.edu); and Matthew Logan (mwl39@txstate.edu)
This special issue focuses on research and theory regarding new waves of currency and investment fraud, namely cryptocurrency, NFT (non-fungible token), and others. The papers will consider the criminal opportunities, structure, victims, and/or cost of such crimes. Papers will be a mix of theoretical and empirical pieces using a variety of methodologies.
We are soliciting manuscripts that examine cryptocurrency and other speculative investment crime, with primary consideration given to submissions that feature original, empirical work employing a multiple methods or mixed methods format. Manuscripts considered for this special issue may focus on a variety of topics, including (but not limited to); (a) the motivation to engage in cryptocurrency fraud and other types of currency and speculative investment fraud, (b) the structure/organization of such criminal enterprises, (c) what these criminal opportunities look like, (d) the impact and make-up of victims of these types of fraud, (e) the socioeconomic impact of these types of fraud. The special issue is especially welcoming of interdisciplinary perspective on these topics, and all research examining cryptocurrency fraud are welcome subjects of discourse for the special issue. All submitted manuscripts should seek to advance theory, and feature key implications for policy and practice.
All submitted manuscripts will be peer reviewed. An abstract of approximately 100 words must accompany the manuscript. Manuscripts must be 30 pages or less, double-spaced, including the abstract, references, and all figures and tables. Manuscripts should be received no later than July 1, 2026. Please send two electronic copies of the manuscript: one complete version (with a cover page containing the author’s name, title, institutional affiliation with complete address, email and phone contact information; acknowledgments; research grant information), and one blind copy with all identifying information removed to facilitate blind peer review, to Brandon Dulisse (Bdulisse@ut.edu). Manuscripts should be in MS Word format and conform to the formatting style of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).
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Innovation and Extension of Situational Crime Prevention (February 2027)
By Invitation
Co-Editors: Emily Greene-Colozzi Emily_GreeneColozzi@uml.edu; Joshua Freilich jfreilich@jjay.cuny.edu
This special issue will highlight theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented expansion of Clarke’s (1985) situational crime prevention (SCP) perspective and related environmental criminology approaches. SCP is a dynamic and practitioner-friendly environmental criminology perspective that emphasizes situational opportunity over criminal motive or disposition. Since its introduction into criminology and crime science, SCP has undergone empirical testing and theoretical extension (e.g., Wortley, 2005) across a multitude of disciplines and has been implemented in real-world scenarios. We invite submissions focused on policy innovation, empirical testing, or theoretical advancement and integration with traditional criminology of SCP or its related EC perspectives (including rational choice perspective, routine activity theory, situational action theory).
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Violence, Security, and Youth Development in Latin America (May 2027)
By Invitation
Co-Editors: Mariana Lerchundi, Franklin Moreno (franklin.moreno@temple.edu), Paul Boxer
Violence transcends Geo-political boundaries, as should scholarship on violence. South, Central, and North America is a region connected by flows of people, forms of violence, violence reduction initiatives, as well as historical legacies and governmental foreign policies. While countries in Latin America have had one of the highest levels of violence around the world, scholarship on youth and violence is over-represented from the US (and the Global North)—including due to language barriers. The aim of the special issue is to promote and foster potential integration of theoretical, methodological, and empirical approaches from Mexico and Central and South America to a broader audience, including by making this special issue bilingual.
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Complexities, Constraints and Challenges Faced by Women in Policing in the Global South (August 2027)
Call for Papers
Editor: Wendell C. Wallace (Wendell.Wallace@sta.uwi.edu)
This special issue will focus on women in policing in the Global South, with primary consideration given to submissions that feature original, empirical work employing qualitative, quantitative and/or mixed methods formats. Manuscripts considered for this special issue may focus on a variety of topics impacting women in policing in the Global South, including (but not limited to): work/life balance, parenting, promotion, bias, sexual harassment, limited mentors, and promotion. Scholars from traditionally under-researched jurisdictions, especially the Caribbean, are encouraged to submit articles for publication consideration. Particularly for countries of the Global South, this special issue will not only enrich the existing literature on women in policing, but also serves as an indispensable resource for academicians, practitioners and policymakers.
Each submitted manuscripts will be peer reviewed and should feature key implications for policy and practice. An abstract of approximately 150 words must accompany the manuscript. Manuscripts must be no more than 8,000 words (including the abstract, references, and all figures and tables), double-spaced, and authored using the formatting style of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).
Please send two electronic copies of the manuscript, one complete version (with a cover page containing the author’s name, title, institutional affiliation with complete address, email and telephone contact, acknowledgments, and research grant information), and one blind copy with all identifying information removed to facilitate blind peer review, to Dr. Wendell C. Wallace, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine (Wendell.Wallace@sta.uwi.edu). Manuscripts should be in MS Word format and received by January 20, 2027.
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Rape Control in Europe - Towards a New European Paradigm (November 2027)
By Invitation
Co-Editors: Natalia Daśko (ndasko@umk.pl); Janusz Bojarski (bojarski@umk.pl)
The Istanbul Convention, the debate on the meaning of consent to sexual activity, the shift from “no means no” to “yes means yes,” the #MeToo movement, and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), particularly the judgment in M.C. v. Bulgaria on December 4, 2003 (application no. 39272/98), demonstrate a revolution in Europe regarding the protection of sexual autonomy. This issue brings together articles that illustrate the changes occurring in various European countries regarding rape in legal, institutional, and social contexts. The articles discuss the legal redefinition of rape, criminal policies regarding sexual crimes, rape prevention strategies, the practices of law enforcement agencies with rape cases, criminal court rulings in rape cases, the challenges rape victims face within the justice system, cultural and media influences on rape perceptions, and the impact of social movements.
Papers will be a mix of theoretical and empirical pieces, using a variety of methodologies.
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Second Chances: Challenges, Successes, and Future Prospects for Correctional Reform (February 2028)
Co-Editors: Sheila Maxwell (maxwel22@msu.edu); Chris Maxwell (cmaxwell@msu.edu)
The reentry of formerly incarcerated and supervised individuals into a free society presents numerous challenges, including issues related to housing, employment, health care, childcare, and unstable family and relationship networks. These difficulties often lead to recidivism as individuals struggle to reintegrate and rebuild their lives. To help alleviate reentry challenges, the U.S. Congress passed the Second Chance Act in 2008 and invested in initiatives and programs to support the reintegration of supervised and incarcerated individuals into society. State and local governments have also invested in reentry programs for juveniles and adults. These programs typically include comprehensive support services and wrap-around assistance, such as job training and job referrals, transitional housing assistance, substance abuse treatment, and counseling.
Recognizing the efforts and investments of nearly two decades of Second Chance reentry initiatives, and the growing scholarly and policy interest in these initiatives, we invite submissions for a Special Issue on Second Chance programming in corrections-- the framework, implementation, and impact. This call seeks theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented papers that examine how Second Chance programs are implemented and how they reshape post-release trajectories. We welcome interdisciplinary perspectives from criminology, public policy, sociology, psychology, social work, law, and related fields.
We welcome submissions on a range of themes related to Second Chance reentry programs, including (but not limited to) evaluations of program outcomes, programming processes, differential access and participation across race, gender, and risk-need levels, geographic disparities (i.e., rural vs. urban), technology-enhanced programming, cross-agency collaborations, sustainability issues, staff/provider experiences, and participant narratives.
Submissions can be empirical research articles (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods), policy analyses, theoretical or conceptual work, and case studies of specific programs. We also welcome articles that represent collaborations between academics and their practitioner partners.
Abstract Submission Deadline: August 1, 2026
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Beyond the Badge: Studying the Roles and Experiences of Non-Sworn Justice System Personnel (May 2028)
Call for Papers
Co-Editors: Beth Huebner (Beth.Huebner@asu.edu); Joseph Schafer (joe.schafer@asu.edu)
We invite submissions for a special issue titled Studying the Roles and Experiences of Non-Sworn Justice System Personnel. While scholarship on policing, courts, and corrections has traditionally centered sworn officers and formal decision-makers, a vast and essential workforce of non-sworn personnel operates alongside and within these systems. These individuals—including dispatchers, victim advocates, probation support staff, court clerks, forensic technicians, administrative professionals, and others—play critical roles in shaping justice processes, outcomes, and institutional cultures. Yet their labor, discretion, and lived experiences remain understudied. This special issue seeks to foreground their contributions and examine how non-sworn personnel influence organizational functioning, interagency collaboration, and interactions with the public.
We welcome empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions that explore the roles, identities, working conditions, and challenges faced by non-sworn justice system personnel across policing, courts, and corrections. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, occupational stress and well-being, professionalization and training, decision-making and discretion, emotional labor, diversity and inclusion, power dynamics within justice organizations, and the impacts of policy reforms on non-sworn staff. Comparative, interdisciplinary, and community-engaged approaches are especially encouraged. By centering these often-overlooked actors, this special issue aims to expand our understanding of justice system operations and contribute to more inclusive and accurate accounts of institutional practice.
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