NCJ Number
91309
Date Published
1983
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The formation of the International Society for Criminology (ISC) in 1938 was the first step in the development of a variety of international organizations related to criminology.
Abstract
Before World War II, most criminology focused on penal law or correctional issues. After the war, the orientation shifted to science. Sociological and psychological research centered on crime, and the ISC became the main organization for the dissemination of these new ideas. Groups formed around disciplinary or theoretical perspectives and included the International Association of Workers with Maladjusted Children, Children's Court Judges, International Federation of Senior Police Officers, and Youth Magistrates. In Scandinavia, the Scandinavian Research Council for Criminology was formed in 1962. In the same year, the Council of Europe established the Criminological Research Council, which coordinates the collection and distribution of criminological material within Europe. During the early 1970's, criminology added a focus on a definitional paradigm to add to the behavioral paradigm which had prevailed. Radical criminology also emerged and became formally organized in Europe into the European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control. The International Sociological Association in 1974 formed a Research Committee for the Sociology of Deviance and Social Control. More recent international groups include the International Association of Youth Magistrates, International Chiefs of Police, International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the Howard League for Penal Reform. For most organizations, the membership overlaps with one or more other organizations. However, each organization contributes individually and collectively to international cooperation and collaboration in the science of criminology. Three reference notes are provided.