International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences Vol 1 Issue 1 January 2006

Editorial Welcome to the International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences P. Madhava Soma Sundaram and K. Jaishankar Welcome to the first issue of International Criminal Justice Sciences (IJCJS), an online journal for everyone working in the field of Criminal Justice Sciences. The IJCJS is an on-line, open access, peer-reviewed journal, focusing on the contemporary issues in Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Victimology, and it tries to give a new impetus to the field of criminology by the way of high quality articles and book reviews. This journal would provide a forum for academics, practitioners and activists who share critical perspectives on Criminology, Criminal justice and Victimology. The main purpose of the journal would be to counter mainstream and authoritarian discourses, policies, and practices relating to Crime, Criminal justice and Victimology. Do we need a new Journal? Currently no International journal in Criminology which specifically caters to the academic needs of the International criminology community operates from India. This journal aims to fill this lacuna and to be a bridge for the criminologists from west and east. This journal would act as a focal point for critical research, at a time when critical academic work is becoming increasingly subjugated to mainstream approaches. Also, this journal would have, the opportunity of raising the profile of the International criminological perspectives among academics, practitioners, and activists. We would hope to see an increased interest in the Criminal Justice field through the publication of this journal. The inaugural issue indicates the type of journal we hope to become. It is wide ranging and inter-generational. Our contributors include scholars at every stage of their academic career, from graduate students to some of the pioneers in our discipline; their articles include theoretical and empirical focusing on issues in Victimology and Criminal Justice. It is also, we hope, rigorous and well-written. All articles have been reviewed by one or more disciplinary specialists, and all have been revised in light of this expert commentary. Why on the Web? International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences will be a web-based journal, and will (we hope) combine the best features of a publication and of a web site. All articles, and book reviews will be published in a particular issue of the journal with volume number, page, and date, just as is true of any other publication. Research articles will be refereed, and all the material in each issue

International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences Vol 1 Issue 1 January 2006

will be vetted by our distinguished International Editorial Advisory Board. Issues and individual articles can be read on the screen or printed out in an easy-to-read format for later perusal. Why Contribute? We know that the success of our journal will ultimately be judged by the quality of the papers, articles, and other material that fill its pages. If you support the idea of such a journal, the best thing you can do is to submit a contribution. We encourage you to look at the notes for contributors and submit articles to the Managing Editor @ [email protected]. All articles will be maintained in our archive, and will be available to our readers on an ongoing basis. We also promise timely review and publication. Each submission will be made available on the web as soon as it is accepted. Why Will It Count? Many academics may feel, why they should publish in a new journal. We might answer them in two different ways. First, although the journal is new, Our International Editorial Advisory Board consists of respected doyens in the field, and their commitment ensures that support will be sustained during the start up phase, and subsequently. Second, those of us who have labored (often without a great deal of support or publicity) in the field of Criminology have long complained about the communication lag between western and eastern criminologists. While complaining can be good for the soul, it doesn't solve the issue at hand. However, if all of us who have muttered about the lack of communication in our field actually turn our energies by writing to IJCJS, we may well find that there are enough of us out there not only to start but to sustain such a journal for a long time to come. Our hope is that this journal will be a major step toward fostering an educational community in Criminology and Criminal justice that will be every bit as active and effective as those enjoyed by our colleagues in other social sciences. The ultimate beneficiaries of our efforts will surely be the many, many thousands of students and researchers who each year find their gateway to the exciting field of ever growing Science of Criminology. With the publication of this first issue, we would like to thank the many people who have helped us since the project's inception. We would like to thank the scholars who helped put this first issue together: the members of the International Editorial Advisory Board, the readers who helped us vet the initial submissions and suggest areas for refinement, and of course, the authors themselves. The inaugural issue took longer than we anticipated - putting together; we appreciate the patience of all involved.

International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences Vol 1 Issue 1 January 2006

Again, welcome! If you have read this far, you're probably interested in what we're doing. Be an active participant and send an E-mail to the Editor/Managing Editor on any aspect of this issue. Letters will be used to seed an online forum for each item that readers choose to discuss. Think of ways to use the materials in your own teaching and learning activities. Submit a theoretical or research article, a review, anything that seems to fit. Share with your colleagues and advance the profession! Sincerely, P. Madhava Soma Sundaram K. Jaishankar