If you’ve heard of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS), you’re probably wondering what it is and what its functions are. As a leading organization in the field, with almost 3,000 members, it has many functions and responsibilities. The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences is an international association that fosters scholarly and professional activities within the criminal justice field. The following list is meant to educate you on this organization and its 5 most important functions.
1. Law and Public Policy
This section within the association is aimed at raising awareness to its members regarding law and policy concerns that are relevant to the criminal justice field. This section supports its members with curriculum, developmental programs, networking, and research regarding law and public policy. This section works together to create and distribute its research and findings. Members of the association offer their findings in this subject to various levels of governments in hopes of developing law and policy within those areas.
2. Security and Crime Prevention
Another section within the association, members in this section help promote the growth and development of this field through education and services given to both the academic and practical fields of crime and security. The ACJS provides its members with resources, programs, and workshops to help ensure their members stay on the cutting edge of security and crime technology and the discipline as a whole. This section helps ensure its members stay ahead of the game within their field, making sure they can do their best.
3. Restorative and Community Justice
Within this section of the ACJS members are given a professional arena that includes many different types of people, like educators, justice agency practitioners, victim advocates, and academics. They direct relevant research within this area, focusing on educating organizations, institutions, governmental entities, and individuals about the subject of restorative and community justice; its practices and principles. The ACJS believes the criminal justice begins at the smallest of levels and hopes to give members of the community the tool necessary to excel in this field.
4. Critical Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice/Minorities and Women
The ACJS’ Critical Criminal Justice section promotes theoretical work by members on the ways contributions to crime and social control are made by class, gender, and ethnic inequalities. The Juvenile Justice section works to research and theorize in the area of juvenile justice by promoting communication between practitioners and academics. The Minorities and Women section of the ACJS pertains to issues within the criminal justice fields that work against the most underrepresented minorities and gender. The ultimate goal of this section is to develop practices that promote changing policies regarding diversity and inclusion.
5. Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship
This section is aimed at bringing together its members to serve as resources that help students, administrators, faculty, and practitioners to provide innovative and effecting techniques for teaching and learning within the field of criminal justice. These resources are also used for developing scholarship programs for education and training within the field. The ACJS also has a Community College section that helps to promote the interests of various junior colleges, vocational schools, two-year programs, and community colleges that educate students in the area of criminal justice.
This list contains only some of the functions of the ACJS. As an international association, they work with many members in the field of criminal justice to foster education, awareness, and policy development. The ACJS publishes well-known journals, creates educational programs, and offers its members a large variety of services. After educating yourself on the 5 most important functions of the Academy of Criminal Justice Services, you’ll understand why their membership keeps growing exponentially.
