A word from the new editors
| Author | Philip Stenning,Anna Stewart |
| DOI | 10.1177/0004865812463643 |
| Published date | 01 December 2012 |
| Date | 01 December 2012 |
| Subject Matter | Editorial |
Australian & New Zealand
Journal of Criminology
45(3) 297–298
!The Author(s) 2012
Reprints and permissions:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0004865812463643
anj.sagepub.com
Editorial
A word from the new editors
Anna Stewart and Philip Stenning
We are very grateful to the Society for its vote of confidence in us by appointing us as
joint editors of the Journal for the next three years. We feel very privileged to assume this
important role for what is one of the longest established English-language criminological
journals, currently ranked at 32 out of 50 in criminology and penology journals in the
world (ISI Web of Knowledge, 2011). We share a view of criminology as a ‘broad
church’, a field of multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary research, rather than a dis-
crete discipline itself. Indeed, our own research represents a range of different disciplin-
ary, theoretical, methodological and substantive interests and approaches. In preparing
for this role we reviewed the contents of the Journal over the last ten years and it appears
that the three previous editors have also shared this view, both of criminology and of the
role of the Journal. The number of articles published by internationally recognised
scholars, as well as the very high submission rates in recent years, speak eloquently of
the current status of the journal. So there is a tradition and a reputation to be lived up to,
and we will work to further enhance both, rather than attempt to take the Journal in
some radical new direction.
In terms of content, the ANZ Journal of Criminology meets the needs of a wide
readership, from academics and research students, to criminal justice practitioners and
policy-makers, albeit with an academic readership as its first priority. To meet the needs
of this diverse readership we will work to ensure that the articles in the Journal continue
to reflect new and innovative ideas in the field of criminology, and emerging trends in
crime and criminal justice, as well as building on more long established ones. One
obvious example in this respect is the impact of ‘globalisation’ and of increased promo-
tion of human rights and democracy around the world, and the related emergence of new
forms of transnational crime and policing, and of international criminal justice institu-
tions. We will be encouraging robust examination and critical discussion of these trends
and their implications in the Journal during our editorship. However, we also recognise
that most crime, disorder, policing and criminal justice remains local in character, and is
influenced by local environments and cultures. Understanding these trends and their
implications is essential for developing and implementing valid strategies for crime
reduction and prevention. The strength of the Journal lies in its reach, publishing the
best criminological research from Australia and New Zealand, as well as attracting
submissions from international researchers, and having a world-wide readership. So
during our editorship we will be doing our best to attract quality content that will further
enhance the Journal’s ‘global’ reach, both substantively and geo-politically.
The Journal has been fortunate to have outstanding editors in the past, and we
gratefully acknowledge our immediate predecessor, Professor Sharon Pickering, for
having maintained this high standard of editorship
1
. So we have some large shoes to
To continue reading
Request your trial