Journal profile · CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
Critical Criminology
ISSN 1205-8629 · eISSN 1572-9877 · Springer Nature · 4 issues per year
Critical Criminology: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.26; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,390; median 216 days to acceptance (36 articles, last 24 months); 56 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Critical Criminology is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis, Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses and Crime Patterns and Interventions, together about 44.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Critical Criminology is the official journal of the Division of Critical Criminology of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Section on Critical Criminology (ACJS). The journal Critical Criminology explores social, political, and economic justice from a range of critical perspectives, including postcolonial, feminist, Marxist, anarchistic, peace-making, left realist, cultural, narrative, postmodernist, visual, abolitionist, Queer, Southern, Indigenous, and green criminology. Rather than limit the scope of its coverage to state definitions of crime, Critical Criminology focuses on issues of social harm and social justice, including work exploring the intersecting lines of class, gender, race/ethnicity and heterosexism and oppression in all its ubiquitous forms. The journal will benefit those interested in methodologies and theories pertaining to the study of crime and criminal justice systems that challenge and critique the status quo. It provides a platform for work that centers on creative and cooperative solutions to justice problems, plus strategies for the construction of a more inclusive society.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
Editor-in-chief David C. BrothertonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 38, United Kingdom 11, Canada 4, Australia 3, Italy 2 (63 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Criminal Justice and Corrections AnalysisSocial Sciences16.3%
- Wildlife Conservation and Criminology AnalysesEnvironmental Science15%
- Crime Patterns and InterventionsSocial Sciences13.4%
- Crime, Illicit Activities, and GovernanceSocial Sciences9.1%
- Crime, Deviance, and Social ControlSocial Sciences5.4%
- Homelessness and Social IssuesHealth Professions3.7%
- Policing Practices and PerceptionsSocial Sciences3.4%
- Geographies of human-animal interactionsSocial Sciences3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Criminology & Penology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Criminology & Penology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Criminology & Penology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SCIECurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.26LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.5LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.01LetPub ·
- h-index
- 55OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 399OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.31OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 52.38%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 48LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 329,700Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,120 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 45 | 23 | 1 |
| 2025 | 56 | 42 | 73 |
| 2024 | 60 | 33 | 137 |
| 2023 | 75 | 31 | 207 |
| 2022 | 74 | 44 | 367 |
| 2021 | 57 | 30 | 584 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
216 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 71 days – 265 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 46 days (67 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 248 days
- Sample
- 36 articles with submission and acceptance dates (107 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Submission to first decision
- 15 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,390 / EUR 2,690 / GBP 2,390 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 100–150 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism
- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Data transparency: data/materials/software/code should support published claims and comply with field standards. Model summary
All authors are requested to make sure that all data and materials as well as software application or custom code support their published claims and comply with field standards.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Member of COPE; follows COPE guidelines for misconduct. Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Critical Criminology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Authors may suggest or request exclusion of reviewers at submission. Model summary
Authors are welcome to suggest suitable reviewers and/or request the exclusion of certain individuals when they submit their manuscripts.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
May use software to screen for plagiarism. Model summary
Important note: the journal may use software to screen for plagiarism.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 4 issues per year
- ISSN
- 1205-8629
- Electronic ISSN
- 1572-9877
- Society / sponsor
- ASC Division on Critical Criminology and the ACJS Section on Critical Criminology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 34, Issue 2 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Critical Criminology
What CAS zone is Critical Criminology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Critical Criminology is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Criminology & Penology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Critical Criminology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.26; CiteScore 2.5, h-index 55.
How long does peer review take at Critical Criminology?
Based on the dates recorded on 36 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 216 days (interquartile range 71–265 days). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Critical Criminology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 100–150 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Critical Criminology based?
Of the 63 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (38), United Kingdom (11) and Canada (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Critical Criminology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Critical Criminology is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Critical Criminology open access, and what is the APC?
Critical Criminology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,390.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .