Journal profile · CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
PRISON JOURNAL
ISSN 0032-8855 · eISSN 1552-7522 · SAGE
PRISON JOURNAL: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,650; 38 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
PRISON JOURNAL is published by SAGE and is in Zone 4 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, Homelessness and Social Issues and Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending, together about 54.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Prison Journal (TPJ), peer-reviewed and published six times a year, is a central forum for studies, ideas, and discussions of adult and juvenile confinement, treatment interventions, and alternative sanctions. Exploring broad themes of … | View full journal description
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 20, United Kingdom 1, Israel 1, Jordan 1 (23 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Criminal Justice and Corrections AnalysisSocial Sciences33.4%
- Homelessness and Social IssuesHealth Professions11.2%
- Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual OffendingPsychology10.3%
- Crime Patterns and InterventionsSocial Sciences9.8%
- Race, History, and American SocietySocial Sciences3.7%
- Child Abuse and TraumaPsychology3.1%
- American Constitutional Law and PoliticsSocial Sciences2.7%
- Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesMedicine2.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| 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 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Criminology & Penology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 1LetPub ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.4LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.79LetPub ·
- h-index
- 78OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 653OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.05OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 11.01%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 36LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,590 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | 7 | 0 |
| 2025 | 38 | 7 | 26 |
| 2024 | 35 | 17 | 82 |
| 2023 | 37 | 13 | 150 |
| 2022 | 39 | 9 | 219 |
| 2021 | 33 | 2 | 215 |
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.
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 3,650 / GBP 2,676 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 100 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 5
- Reference style
- APA
Article types accepted4
- articlesContributions in the form of articles, research notes, review essays, and book reviews should explore broad themes of punishment and correctional intervention.Length not stated
- book reviewsContributions in the form of articles, research notes, review essays, and book reviews should explore broad themes of punishment and correctional intervention.Length not stated
- research notesContributions in the form of articles, research notes, review essays, and book reviews should explore broad themes of punishment and correctional intervention.Length not stated
- review essaysContributions in the form of articles, research notes, review essays, and book reviews should explore broad themes of punishment and correctional intervention.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Publication ethics
- Authorship
Original work only; not under consideration elsewhere. Model summary
Submission to The Prison Journal implies that the manuscript has not been published elsewhere, nor is it under consideration by another journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Manuscripts must meet accessibility standards. Model summary
Authors should familiarize themselves with Sage’s Accessibility Guidelines to ensure their manuscripts meet recognized accessibility standards.
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
- SAGE
- ISSN
- 0032-8855
- Electronic ISSN
- 1552-7522
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about PRISON JOURNAL
What CAS zone is PRISON JOURNAL in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, PRISON JOURNAL is in Zone 4 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 PRISON JOURNAL?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1; CiteScore 1.8, h-index 78.
What are the manuscript requirements of PRISON JOURNAL?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 100 words; Keywords: ≤ 5; Reference style: APA. 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 PRISON JOURNAL based?
Of the 23 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (20), United Kingdom (1) and Israel (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index PRISON JOURNAL?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, PRISON JOURNAL is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is PRISON JOURNAL open access, and what is the APC?
PRISON JOURNAL is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,650.
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: .