Calls for Papers

Call for titles and abstracts: Routledge International Handbook of Historical Criminology.

 
Editors: Lynsey Black, Esmorie Miller and Lizzie Seal

The editors are compiling an international handbook of historical criminology, to be published by Routledge. We encourage potential contributors to submit chapter abstracts for consideration which relate to this area of research.

The Routledge International Handbook of Historical Criminology aims to present the ‘state of the art’ in relation to historical criminology, which is a thriving and growing subdiscipline. We invite chapters that cover a range of historical periods, topics and regional contexts, including the Global South. We aim to represent work that engages with race, colonialism, decolonisation, gender, sexuality and gender diversity, as well as class and political economy.

We invite chapters on any area of historical criminology. Indicative areas include:
Criminalisation
Victimisation
Violence (including gender-based violence and hate crimes)
Courts and trials
Policing
Punishment
Youth Justice
Restorative Justice and Desistance
Green Crime
State Crime
Corporate/White Collar Crime
Immigration and Borders
Media and Cultural Approaches
Memory
Tourism and Heritage
Methodology (including digital methods)
 
It is anticipated that 6,500-8000 word chapters (including references) will be due end February 2027.
 
Please email a 200-300 word chapter abstract by 1 May 2026 to Lizzie Seal: e.c.seal@sussex.ac.uk.

 

Call for Abstracts: British Crime Historians Symposium

The British Crime Historians Symposium meets every 2-3 years to discuss and debate original historical research on all aspects of crime, policing, punishment, law, criminal justice and social regulation. 

Since the first meeting in 2008, the BCHS has become a leading academic forum in this broad and vibrant field of research. 

The next conference will be held on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th September 2026 at Oxford Brookes University. We anticipate that the conference fee will be no more than £100 (with a discount for postgraduate students). Delegates will be responsible for booking their own travel and accommodation, but we will provide a list of suggested hotels in Oxford at the end of May when acceptances are confirmed. 

The conference welcomes proposals for papers, panels and other sessions concerned with the history of crime and criminal justice across medieval to modern history, especially (though not exclusively) in connection with Britain. This may include imperial and transnational histories that interrelate modern British history with global legacies of colonialism, as well as international exchanges about crime and punishment. Papers on all topics and periods within this broad remit are welcomed. In addition, this year’s conference particularly welcomes proposals that engage with the following: 

• Crime fiction/creative modes of writing the history of crime; 
• Crime, migration, and empire; 
• Spatial approaches to deviance, criminality and rehabilitation.  

Submissions are encouraged from researchers across a wide range of disciplines (including, but not limited to, history, criminology, English, law, socio-legal studies and sociology), and from postgraduate/early career researchers. Postgraduate presenters will be invited to submit their papers for the Clive Emsley Prize, awarded for the best postgraduate paper at the conference. Please indicate at the time of submission if you are a postgraduate student. 

Typically speakers will have 15-20 minutes to present their paper. Panels should each consist of three or four papers selected to illuminate an overarching topic, theme or issue, and we encourage organisers to consider including postgraduate and early career researchers in their panels. Suggestions for alternative formats (roundtable sessions, source/method-based workshops, ‘author meets readers’ sessions, etc.) are welcome; please discuss any ideas with the conference organising committee, in the first instance. 

For individual paper proposals, please include: paper title; name(s) of author(s); institutional affiliation (if applicable); email address (of proposing author); paper abstract of no more than 250 words. 

For panel proposals, please include full details (as outlined above) for each constituent paper, in addition to: panel title; name, institutional affiliation (if applicable) and email address of the panel organiser; abstract of the panel’s aims (no more than 150 words); name of panel chair (if nominating a specific chair). 

The deadline for submission of proposals is Wednesday 6 May 2026. We will confirm whether your paper has been accepted for the conference by the end of May 2026 to allow time to book travel and accommodation.   

Please send proposals by email attachment to: ebland@brookes.ac.uk

The conference organising committee is: Eleanor Bland (Criminology, Oxford Brookes), Grace Di Meo (Criminology, Oxford Brookes), Emily Rose Hay (Criminology, University of Oxford) and Cassie Watson (History, Oxford Brookes)

 

Call for Chapters: The Routledge International Handbook of Social Engineering and Crime

Chapter proposals are invited for The Routledge International Handbook of Social Engineering and Crime, an interdisciplinary reference work that offers an accessible and comprehensive overview of Social Engineering as a crime phenomenon.

Social Engineering, often described as the “art of human hacking,” refers to the deliberate manipulation of people in order to obtain information, access, money, or compliance. Although cybercrime is often framed as a technical problem, many successful attacks rely less on code than on communication, trust, deception, pressure, routine, and situational ambiguity. This handbook addresses Social Engineering as a socio-technical and criminological phenomenon, showing how attacks are designed, how victims interpret and respond to cues, and how organizations and institutions seek to prevent, investigate, and govern such practices.

The volume brings together three perspectives that are too often discussed separately: first, the social and psychological mechanisms of manipulation, including authority, urgency, reciprocity, social proof, and cognitive shortcuts; second, socio-technical attack practices across analog, digital, and hybrid settings, ranging from impersonation and pretexting to phishing, vishing, smishing, and AI-enabled deception; and third, criminological, legal, and justice-oriented perspectives on prevention, investigation, evidence, regulation, and governance.

Proposals for original chapters are invited. Contributions should be clearly written, empirically grounded, and accessible to an interdisciplinary readership. Contributions may be conceptual, empirical, comparative, methodological, legal, policy-oriented, or case-based. Chapters that connect different perspectives, for example, psychological mechanisms with organizational vulnerabilities or case studies with criminological theory, are especially encouraged. Authors are encouraged to write in a style suitable for a handbook: informative, synthetic, and accessible, with a clear argument and strong relevance for readers from different disciplinary and professional backgrounds.

Please submit a chapter proposal including:

  • a proposed chapter title 
  • an abstract of approximately 300–500 words 
  • 5–7 keywords 
  • a short author biography of approximately 100–150 words 
  • full contact details and institutional affiliation 

Please send proposals to: stephan@humer.de by: 31 May 2026.

For questions, please contact:

Professor Dr. Stephan G. Humer, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences Berlin, Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences (humer@th-brandenburg.de).

Call for Submissions: The Journal of Historical Criminology

The Journal of Historical Criminology is now inviting submissions for upcoming issues. The journal is the first and only academic journal exclusively dedicated to research and scholarship in the international field of historical criminology. We are interdisciplinary in nature and welcome contributions from criminology, history, law, sociology, and other related disciplines. The content published should be both criminological and historical in scope. The former is intended in the broadest sense, inclusive from criminological theory to the justice processes which work to confront the issue, both formal and informal. The term ‘historical’ is meant to capture a focus on not only the past but also on the links between past and present and questions related to historical time, temporality, and social change.

The Journal of Historical Criminology is an open-access journal. All published articles are freely available to the academic community and the public to ensure wide dissemination of research and greater impact. There are no costs for authors who also retain copyright and are encouraged to distribute their work freely. All submissions are subjected to a double-blind peer review process to ensure academic quality.

For more information about the journal, please visit https://journalofhistoricalcriminology.pubpub.org/

If you have any questions, or would like to submit an article, please email JHCeditor@gmail.com

 

Call for Papers: The Justice Evaluation Journal (JEJ)

The Justice Evaluation Journal (JEJ), an official journal of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, aims to assess the efficacy, efficiency, and equity of crime reduction and prevention programs and policies.  JEJ provides a forum for scholars and practitioners in criminal justice and related sectors to offer answers to fundamental questions of what works and what does not work, and why. 

JEJ welcomes papers concerning criminal justice policies and programs broadly defined. This includes related public policy areas which have an impact on criminal justice outcomes such as social welfare, education, or health initiatives. We publish evidence-based examinations of existing programs and policies and the role of research in practice. 

Submissions should:

  • be no more than 30 pages.
  • focus on the research questions, methodology, findings, and analysis of results rather than extensive literature reviews.
  • explicitly assess the research’s implications for the program or policy in question.

All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to review by independent, anonymous expert referees. All peer review is double-blind and submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts.

For more information, contact the Editor, N. Prabha Unnithan, Colorado State University [Prabha.Unnithan@colostate.edu] or the journal office [CLA_jej@colostate.edu] or visit the JEJ Website.

The Springer Nature Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence and The Springer Nature Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior.

Dr. Todd Shackelford is curating two new encyclopedias, and would like to extend an open invitation to any authors interested in contributing entries. Prospective authors are also encouraged to recommend colleagues, graduate students, or advanced undergraduate students to contribute entries as well.

The Springer Nature Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence will be the most comprehensive encyclopedia of domestic violence to date, and will include over 2,000 entries from authors across a wide array of disciplines. The Springer Nature Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior will be a comprehensive encyclopedia of evolutionary perspectives on sexual psychology and behavior, and will also include over 2,000 entries from authors across a wide array of disciplines.

For additional information about either of these encyclopedias, or for a complete list of available entries, please contact Section Editor Madeleine Meehan (madeleinemeehan@oakland.edu) or Section Editor Gavin Vance (gvance@oakland.edu).

Call for Submissions: The International Journal of Justice and Police Sciences

The International Journal of Justice and Police Sciences (IJJPS), the official Journal of the International Institute of Justice and Police Sciences (IIJPS) is pleased to invite submissions. This Gold open-access peer-reviewed journal provides a platform for research, case studies, and reviews in Justice and Police Sciences, offering insights into both theoretical developments and practical applications.

The journal welcomes submissions in the following fields and related areas:

1. Justice Sciences 

Criminology & Criminal Justice, Criminal Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Victimology and Victim Justice, Criminal Laws and Justice Administration, Criminal Justice Governance & Public Policy, Criminal Justice Social Work, and International Criminal Laws and Allied Justice Sciences.

2. Police Sciences

Cyber Security and Cyber Forensics, Police Science, Crime Analysis and Crime Science, Evidence-Based Policing, Translational Criminology, Embedded Policing, Forensic Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Security Management, Forensic Odontology, Forensic Victimology and Allied Police Sciences.

Article Types

We welcome submissions of original research articles, case studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and short communications that contribute to the fields of justice and police sciences. All submissions that are not desk rejected undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review. Manuscripts should be formatted as per APA 7 Guidelines (Law Articles can use Blue Book Citation). A cover letter detailing the manuscript’s originality, relevance, and contribution to the journal’s scope must accompany each submission.

Please visit: https://www.icssinstitute.org/journal.html for submission instructions.