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What does the Illinois Academy of Criminology
do?
The Illinois Academy of Criminology is a not-for-profit
organization dedicated to stimulating the interest of its members and
the public in the study of criminology and criminal justice; promoting
scientific inquiry research and publication; and presenting the results
of relevant studies and research by means of lectures, addresses and publications.
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Who belongs to the Academy?
The membership of the Academy includes academicians
and practitioners, whose interest spans the entire criminal justice system,
educators and researchers, law enforcement officials, prosecutors and
public defenders, legal scholars and correctional experts. There are organizations
of judges, of district attorneys, of social workers in criminology, of
probation officers, parole officers, FBI agents, former FBI agents, graduates
of the FBI Academy, police, workers in correctional institutions, criminal
justice educators, and citizen and civic groups organized for study and
social action in the field. The Academy of Criminology includes some of
all of these. Particularly nowadays one finds the faculties of the university
departments of corrections and of criminal justice active in the Academy.
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When and where does it meet?
The Academy usually meets five times a year between
September and June. Also held is an annual awards banquet with a featured
speaker.
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Who participates in the program?
Most Academy programs feature panels of three to five
persons working in the area being discussed, or having knowledge of it
from previous experience or special study. Administrators of correctional
institutions, police departments, probation and parole systems, and private
agencies in the field; practitioners at all levels in these organizations;
and professors of criminal justice, sociology, social work and law are
the most frequent participants. Also appearing from time to time are judges;
physicians; legislators -- city, state or federal; newspaper writers;
and convicted persons on probation or parole, or discharged.
The panel participants have the floor for the first hour at each
evening meeting. The moderator then invites questions and comments from all
present, and there is a general interchange for another hour. Whenever it is
at all possible to arrange it, coffee is served at the meetings.
Meetings are open to all interested persons. They are always
informative, and often controversial.
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How did the Academy begin?
From 1931 to 1945, there was a Chicago Academy of Criminology,
small, formal and scholarly. The Illinois Academy of Criminology was organized
in 1950 by a committee chaired by Sarah B. Schaar, for many years in charge
of the Legal Aid Department of the Jewish and Family Community Service.
The other members were Ernest W. Burgess, University of Chicago sociologist;
Judge Jacob M. Braude; Harvey L. Long, then in charge of juvenile parole
supervision for the state of Illinois; and Eugene S. Zemans of the John
Howard Association. This group invited others known to be interested in
criminology to an organizing meeting at the Quadrangle Club at the University
of Chicago on December 3, 1949.
Members joining during the first year included psychoanalyst
Dr. Franz Alexander; law professor Francis A. Allen; Judge Harrington of the
Criminal Court of Cook County; James Jordon of the Cook County Juvenile Court's
Audy Home; Ben Meeker, Chief U.S. Probation and Parole Officer; Joseph Ragen,
Warden at Statesville; and Anthony Sorrentino of the Chicago Area Project.
Since its inception, the Academy has been the prime organization
devoted to the serious interdisciplinary discussion of the major issues
in the field of criminology.
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What comes with membership?
You receive by e-mail or US mail announcements of all
the meetings: admission at no cost to all regular meetings except those
which include meals. We also host institutes which involve a registration
fee as well as any related room and board costs.
You will also receive occasional mailings of material of professional
interest; Academy newsletters, summaries of the content of some of the
Academy programs, and special publications.
Contact with others in the field. A prestige value in belonging
to a respected professional organization.
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How is the Academy governed?
The governing body is an Executive Committee consisting
of nine elected members, seven elected officers, and any past president
who wishes to attend.
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What kind of memberships are there?
Active - for professionals in criminology or any related
field.
Associate - for full-time college or university students
interested in criminology or criminal justice. Professionals may request
associate membership if they neither live nor work in Illinois.
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Annual Dues:
Professional Employed: $45.00
Students (unemployed), retired professionals, or out-of-state professionals:
$20.00
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How to apply for membership?
To apply for membership click
here to open and print the membership application form. Mail a check
and the filled form to:
Illinois Academy of Criminology
P.O. Box 134
Lemont, Illinois 60439
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