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Justice Quarterly (JQ) is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to criminological research and the operational analysis of justice institutions. Founded in 1984, the publication is the official journal of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) and is published by Routledge, an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group. For scholars navigating criminal justice research, the journal serves as a primary venue for empirical studies, methodological advances, and policy evaluations. This profile details the journal’s scope, citation metrics, indexing status, and author submission workflow.
What It Is
Justice Quarterly is a multidisciplinary journal covering crime, criminal behavior, and the administration of justice. In continuous publication since March 1984, it operates under the editorial direction of the ACJS. The table below presents its core bibliographic details, verified through official publisher documentation and the National Library of Medicine (NLM):
| Parameter | Specification | Primary Verification Source |
|---|---|---|
| Official Title | Justice Quarterly (abbreviated as JQ) | NLM Catalog Record (NLM ID 101512022) |
| Sponsoring Society | Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) | ACJS Official Journal Register |
| Commercial Publisher | Routledge / Taylor & Francis Group | Crossref Metadata (ISSN 0741-8825) |
| First Issue | March 1984 (Volume 1, Issue 1) | NLM Serial History Records |
| Print ISSN | 0741-8825 | Crossref / NLM Catalog |
| Electronic ISSN | 1745-9109 | Crossref / NLM Catalog |
| Publication Frequency | 7 issues per annual volume | ACJS Publications Policy |
| Peer Review Model | Double-anonymous peer review | Taylor & Francis Author Instructions |
| Publishing Model | Hybrid (Subscription with Open Select Gold OA option) | Taylor & Francis Open Access Policy |
| Manuscript Submission Portal | ScholarOne Manuscripts | ACJS Submission Documentation |
As a society-owned journal, Justice Quarterly maintains editorial autonomy through appointments made by the ACJS Executive Board. The journal emphasizes research that connects criminology theory with criminal justice practice, encompassing policing, courts, sentencing, and corrections.
Who Runs It and What It Covers
Editorial leadership of Justice Quarterly is directed by academic co-editors appointed by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. The current co-editors are Joshua Cochran (University of Cincinnati) and Daniel Mears (Florida State University). The editors-in-chief manage initial screenings, reviewer assignments, and editorial decisions, supported by an international editorial board of criminology scholars.
The substantive scope of Justice Quarterly covers empirical and theoretical inquiries into crime, law, and justice systems, including:
- Policing: Police behavior, officer wellness, accountability, community policing, and surveillance technologies.
- Courts and Sentencing: Plea bargaining, prosecutorial discretion, sentencing disparities, and pretrial diversion programs.
- Corrections and Reentry: Prison environments, rehabilitative programming, recidivism, and community supervision.
- Criminological Theory: Longitudinal tests of life-course theories, strain theory, social learning, and deterrence.
- Victimology and Crime Prevention: Victimization patterns, community crime prevention, and trauma-informed initiatives.
Methodologically, the journal prioritizes empirical rigor. Articles published in Justice Quarterly often apply longitudinal panel designs, quasi-experimental methods, randomized trials, or multi-level modeling. Qualitative investigations and conceptual papers are also considered when they provide substantial analytical depth.
How to Search or Use It
Authors and researchers interact with Justice Quarterly through distinct channels. Those exploring the Taylor & Francis peer review process can follow these six procedural steps to navigate the journal workflow from preparation to post-review production:
- Confirm Scope Alignment and Length: Ensure the manuscript addresses general-interest criminal justice or criminology topics. Submissions typically follow a 40-page general ceiling (inclusive of body text, tables, notes, and references).
- Format with APA 7th Edition: Structure citations, references, headings, and tables in accordance with the APA 7th Edition manual. Include a structured abstract of approximately 200 words and 4 to 6 keywords.
- Anonymize the Manuscript: Remove author names, institutional affiliations, and self-identifying acknowledgments from the main file to comply with double-anonymous peer review. Provide author details on a separate title page file.
- Assemble Disclosures: Prepare required statements covering funding support, potential conflicts of interest, and data availability.
- Submit via ScholarOne Manuscripts: Access the journal portal on ScholarOne Manuscripts, authenticate via an ORCID account or login credentials, and upload blinded files along with separate author materials.
- Track Review and Select Dissemination: Monitor review progress via the portal dashboard. Upon acceptance, authors choose standard subscription publication (no author charges) or pay an article processing charge for Gold Open Access under Taylor & Francis Open Select.
For literature discovery, individual ACJS members access Justice Quarterly through the member area of the ACJS website. Institutional readers access current and archival issues via library subscriptions on Taylor & Francis Online.
Strengths and Limits
Evaluating Justice Quarterly requires balancing its scholarly influence against practical submission parameters:
Scholarly Strengths
- Established Bibliometric Standing: The journal holds a 2-year Journal Impact Factor (JIF) of 2.4 and a 5-year Impact Factor of 3.4 in the Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR), ranking in Quartile 1 (Q1) of the Criminology & Penology category. See our guide on journal impact factor and quartile rankings for context on category tiers.
- Scopus CiteScore: In Scopus, JQ carries a CiteScore of 5.7, placing it among the upper tier of criminology and law journals.
- Broad Indexing: The journal is indexed in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Criminal Justice Abstracts, and the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). Review our guide on what it means for a journal to be indexed for further indexing criteria.
- No Author Fees for Subscription Publishing: Standard submission and publication carry zero author-facing fees.
Operational Limits
- Competitive Acceptance: High submission volumes and rigorous peer review lead to selective acceptance rates and thorough revision rounds.
- Hybrid Access Model: Articles remain behind institutional paywalls unless authors or institutions pay for open-access licensing.
- Not in DOAJ: Because Justice Quarterly is a hybrid subscription journal, it is not indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), which lists only fully open-access serials.
Alternatives
Researchers evaluating Justice Quarterly often compare it against other leading criminology outlets. The table below compares Justice Quarterly with leading alternative journals across society sponsorship, publisher, annual issue count, review format, and core scope focus:
| Journal Title | Sponsor / Society | Publisher | Annual Issues | Review Model | Primary Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice Quarterly | Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) | Routledge / Taylor & Francis | 7 issues | Double-anonymous | Multidisciplinary justice system operations, empirical crime research, and policy analysis. |
| Criminology | American Society of Criminology (ASC) | Wiley | 4 issues | Double-anonymous | Foundational criminological theory, sociological mechanisms of crime, and longitudinal behavioral studies. |
| Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency | Independent editorial board | SAGE Publications | 6 issues | Double-anonymous | Social and behavioral analyses of crime, juvenile delinquency, and criminal justice system interventions. |
| Criminology & Public Policy | American Society of Criminology (ASC) | Wiley | 4 issues | Double-anonymous | Policy evaluations, legislative reform assessments, and criminal justice administration. |
| Journal of Empirical Legal Studies | Society for Empirical Legal Studies (SELS) | Wiley | 4 issues | Double-anonymous | Quantitative analysis of judicial behavior, legal institutions, and jurisprudence. Compare with the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies profile. |
Authors developing purely theoretical arguments often choose Criminology, while those assessing specific system interventions, sentencing policies, or law enforcement outcomes find strong alignment in Justice Quarterly.
FAQ
What is the Journal Impact Factor of Justice Quarterly?
According to the Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR), Justice Quarterly has a 2-year Journal Impact Factor of 2.4 and a 5-year Impact Factor of 3.4. It is indexed in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and ranks in Quartile 1 (Q1) within the Criminology & Penology category.
Who publishes Justice Quarterly?
Justice Quarterly is published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) on behalf of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS), which retains editorial control over the journal.
Is Justice Quarterly double-blind peer reviewed?
Yes. Justice Quarterly uses double-anonymous peer review. Submissions must exclude author identities, institutional affiliations, and self-identifying acknowledgments from the main document.
Does Justice Quarterly charge publication fees?
No fees are charged for standard subscription publishing. Authors choosing Gold Open Access can pay an Article Publishing Charge (APC) under the Taylor & Francis Open Select program, which may be covered by institutional agreements.
What citation style does Justice Quarterly require?
The journal requires manuscripts to adhere to the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition guidelines for in-text citations, reference lists, headings, and tables.
Sources
The data and policies in this guide were verified against official primary sources on November 9, 2026:
- Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). “Justice Quarterly.” Official Journal Profile and Guidelines. Accessed November 9, 2026. https://www.acjs.org/justice-quarterly/
- Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). “ACJS Journals Overview and Subscriptions.” Accessed November 9, 2026. https://www.acjs.org/acjs-journals/
- National Library of Medicine (NLM). “Justice Quarterly : JQ.” NLM Catalog Serial Record (NLM ID: 101512022). Accessed November 9, 2026. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/101512022
- Crossref. “Journal Record: Justice Quarterly (Print ISSN 0741-8825; Electronic ISSN 1745-9109).” Accessed November 9, 2026. https://api.crossref.org/journals/0741-8825
- Clarivate. “Journal Citation Reports: Justice Quarterly (Social Sciences Citation Index, SSCI).” Accessed November 9, 2026.
- Scopus / Elsevier. “Source Details: Justice Quarterly (CiteScore 5.7).” Accessed November 9, 2026.
