Journal profile · CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy
ISSN 2202-7998 · eISSN 2202-8005 · Queensland University of Technology · Australia
International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 9 weeks (community reports); 48 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy is published by Queensland University of Technology 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 34.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy is an open access, blind peer reviewed journal that seeks to publish critical research about common challenges confronting criminal justice systems around the world. The global production of knowledge in the social sciences has been structurally skewed towards the Anglophone countries in the Global North (Connell 2007). Criminology as a field of knowledge, until recently, has had a highly selective focus on crime and violence in the large population centres of the Global North. The Global South is a concept that acknowledges the unequal relations of power that shape the lives of the current and formerly colonised, enslaved and dispossessed nations by imperial powers that dominated 9/10th of the world until recently (Carrington, Hogg, Sozzo 2016). It is not a geographic divide but an epistemological grid of power that has shaped social scientific knowledge. The Journal is committed to cognitive justice (de Sousa Santos 2014) and as such aspires to democratise knowledge, bridge global divides and encourage the voices of those on the periphery to publish with the Journal. This includes scholars from diverse Indigenous and first nations peoples communities, as well as scholars from the Global North and South committed to cognitive justice. Authors retain copyright and articles are licenced via Creative Commons to make published articles more readily available and useable. There are no APCs (Article Processing Charges). Authors can submit and publish at no cost. The Journal invites 6000-8000 word original submissions (including references, figures and tables). Authors are asked to register, read the author guidelines, and agree to the ethics statement before submission. Peer review is usually 6 weeks. Please review Author Guidelines prior to submission. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy is included in: Scopus - the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature Australian Policy Online (APO) - open access knowledge hub and information service providing easy access to policy and practice research and resources AustLII - online free-access resource for Australian legal information, AustLII is a joint facility of the UTS and UNSW Faculties of Law DOAJ– an online directory that indexes and provides access to quality open access, peer-reviewed journals EBSCO– EBSCOhost Research Databases ERA 2023 Submission Journal List - Excellence in Research for Austr
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
Editor-in-chief John ScottPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Australia 5 (5 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Criminal Justice and Corrections AnalysisSocial Sciences14.9%
- Wildlife Conservation and Criminology AnalysesEnvironmental Science11.2%
- Crime Patterns and InterventionsSocial Sciences8.8%
- Crime, Illicit Activities, and GovernanceSocial Sciences8.5%
- Intimate Partner and Family ViolenceSocial Sciences6.7%
- Sex work and related issuesSocial Sciences5.9%
- Policing Practices and PerceptionsSocial Sciences4.4%
- Gender, Security, and ConflictSocial Sciences3.9%
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 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Criminology & Penology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EBSCO, Google Scholar, ProQuest, AustLII, Informit, Trove, Paperity, ARC Excellence in Research Australia, Australian Policy Online (APO), Diamond Discovery HubPublisher website
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.47LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.34LetPub ·
- h-index
- 40OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 215OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.1OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 95.92%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 37LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 692 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 32 | 32 | 6 |
| 2025 | 48 | 48 | 51 |
| 2024 | 57 | 57 | 94 |
| 2023 | 51 | 51 | 157 |
| 2022 | 51 | 51 | 475 |
| 2021 | 69 | 69 | 715 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 9 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 9 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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 prepare9 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 150 words
- Keywords
- 3–6
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Templates
- Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted1
- book reviewRagnhild A. Sollund and Martine S.B. Lie (Eds.) (2024) Criminal Justice, Wildlife Conservation and Animal Rights in the Anthropocene. Bristol: Bristol Universit…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteLicense & copyright, Peer review, Plagiarism
- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Authors retain copyright; CC BY 4.0 licence. Model summary
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:1. Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0). This Licence allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.2. Autho…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-blind peer review with a minimum of two independent reviews. Model summary
The double-blind peer review policy requires a minimum of two independent reviews.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Plagiarism checks using iThenticate. Model summary
All articles submitted to the Journal will be subject to checks for plagiarism using iThenticate - plagiarism detection software.
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
- Queensland University of Technology
- Country or region
- Australia
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2202-7998
- Electronic ISSN
- 2202-8005
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 15, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy
What CAS zone is International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Criminology & Penology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy?
Authors report an average review time of about 9 weeks. 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 International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 150 words; Keywords: 3–6; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: APA; Templates: Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Required; Cover letter: Required. 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 International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy based?
Of the 5 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Australia (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal for Crime Justice and Social Democracy is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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: .