Journal profile · CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
Journal of Criminal Justice
ISSN 0047-2352 · eISSN 1873-6203 · Elsevier
Journal of Criminal Justice: CAS Zone 2 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.23; fully open access; APC about USD 3,930; review about 73 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 204 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Criminal Justice is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 2 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Crime Patterns and Interventions, Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis and Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending, together about 47.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Criminal Justice is an international journal intended to fill the present need for the dissemination of new information, ideas and methods, to both practitioners and academicians in the criminal justice area. The Journal is concerned with all aspects of the criminal justice system in terms of their relationships to each other. Although materials are presented relating to crime and the individual elements of the criminal justice system, the emphasis of the Journal is to tie together the functioning of these elements and to illustrate the effects of their interactions. Articles that reflect the application of new disciplines or analytical methodologies to the problems of criminal justice are of special interest.Since the purpose of the Journal is to provide a forum for the dissemination of new ideas, new information, and the application of new methods to the problems and functions of the criminal justice system, the Journal emphasizes innovation and creative thought of the highest quality.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Eric BeauregardPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 56, Canada 8, Australia 4, United Kingdom 2, Switzerland 2 (76 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Crime Patterns and InterventionsSocial Sciences23%
- Criminal Justice and Corrections AnalysisSocial Sciences16.4%
- Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual OffendingPsychology8.1%
- Policing Practices and PerceptionsSocial Sciences7.5%
- Crime, Illicit Activities, and GovernanceSocial Sciences4.5%
- Homelessness and Social IssuesHealth Professions3.9%
- Gun Ownership and Violence ResearchSocial Sciences3.3%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering3.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Criminology & Penology | Zone 2 |
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 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Criminology & Penology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 2.23LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.91LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.33LetPub ·
- h-index
- 156OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,293OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.45OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 33.01%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 193LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,834 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 126 | 64 | 41 |
| 2025 | 204 | 99 | 396 |
| 2024 | 154 | 61 | 749 |
| 2023 | 80 | 17 | 751 |
| 2022 | 106 | 34 | 1,308 |
| 2021 | 60 | 13 | 1,755 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
73 dayssubmission to acceptance
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Submission to first decision
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 38 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 73 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 8 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
Fully open accessLetPub
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,930 / EUR 3,680 / GBP 3,150 / JPY 487,440 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,360 | — | — |
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
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- APA
- Highlights
- Required
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy. Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Double anonymized peer review: author identities are concealed from reviewers and vice versa. Model summary
This journal follows a double anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing is allowed in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy and does not count as prior publication. Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
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
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 0047-2352
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-6203
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Criminal Justice
What CAS zone is Journal of Criminal Justice in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Criminal Justice is in Zone 2 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 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.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Criminal Justice?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.23; CiteScore 3.4, h-index 156.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Criminal Justice?
The publisher reports about 73 days (submission to acceptance). 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 Journal of Criminal Justice?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: APA; Highlights: 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 Journal of Criminal Justice based?
Of the 76 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (56), Canada (8) and Australia (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Criminal Justice?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Criminal Justice is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Journal of Criminal Justice open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Criminal Justice is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,930.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .