Advancing Viewpoint Diversity and Open Inquiry in American Criminology

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

The official mission of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) is to foster criminological scholarship by encouraging multidisciplinary exchange among those of those engaged in research, teaching, and practice. Reduced tolerance for intellectual pluralism threatens the viability of the ASC’s mission. In recent years, concerns have emerged about ideological closure, political activism, and the marginalization of heterodox perspectives within criminology. These issues not only limit scholarly debate but also create blind spots in research, potentially undermining the discipline’s credibility and policy relevance. At a time when academic freedom is under legislative scrutiny, criminology must demonstrate its commitment to open inquiry and methodological rigor. Sponsored by Heterodox Academy, this panel examines these themes in the form of an interactive discussion among criminologists with pertinent experiences in the field.

Sub Unit

• Area VI. The Criminal Justice System / 55. Law Making and Legal Change

Individual Presentations

• Criminology Is Not About Taking Sides - Ashley T. Rubin, University of Hawai'i at Manoa

• The Oppression of Criminological Knowledge - Jukka Savolainen, Wayne State University; Walter Forrest, University of Limerick

• The Perils of Being Deviant in the Study of Deviance - Richard B. Felson, Penn State University

• The Benefits of Social Control - John MacDonald, University of Pennsylvania

Chair

• Jukka Savolainen, Wayne State University

Organized by a Division or external group?

Heterodox Academy