Abstract
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 discrete discipline itself. Indeed, our own research represents a range of different disciplinary, 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 promotion 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 institutions. 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 editorship1. So we have some large shoes to fill and will be greatly assisted in this by our Associate Editors, Dr. Lizzy Stanley from Victoria University of Wellington, and Dr. Rick Brown from the Australian Institute of Criminology, while their predecessors (Professors Gail Mason and Andrew Goldsmith) have kindly agreed to continue their association with the Journal as members of its Editorial Board, as has Professor Pickering. We are also very fortunate to have recruited our colleague Ms. Fiona Saunders to serve as Managing Editor, and would like to take this opportunity to also acknowledge her predecessor, Ms. Emma Colvin, for her outstanding service to the Journal. We have already benefitted from helpful advice and guidance from Ms. Helen Ashton and her colleagues at Sage, and will be working closely with them during the next three years. We look forward to working with you all to continue this tradition of excellence and will always welcome suggestions for improvement.