Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS)

What Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) does

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) is an international non-profit professional association founded in 1963 and headquartered (mailing address) at 5166 County Line Road, Lakeland, Florida. ACJS supports criminal justice education, research, and policy by serving faculty, researchers, students, and practitioners across the criminal justice system. The organization operates with 1–10 employees under an Executive Board structure and maintains no parent company or external funding rounds.

ACJS delivers value through three principal product lines: (1) a flagship annual conference (64th Annual Meeting in Orlando, March 30–April 3, 2027, with 300+ educational sessions) plus specialized workshops (Assessment, Teaching, Academic Leadership Development, Program Reviewer Training, OpenSource Data, SHEILD cybersecurity, and the Crisis Intervention Team 'Hearing Voices' simulation); (2) peer-reviewed academic publishing via Justice Quarterly, Journal of Criminal Justice Education, Justice Evaluation Journal, and the ACJS Today newsletter; and (3) academic program endorsement and quality benchmarking using proprietary ACJS Quality Program Standards (85%+ compliance threshold, 95%+ for special recognition, seven-year validity). Twelve specialized sections (Police, Corrections, Victimology, Cybercrime/Terrorism/Security Studies, etc.) and the Employment Exchange program underpin the membership ecosystem. Underlying technology is a GrowthZone CMS-based member portal with a separate annual meeting registration system (goeshow.com).

Revenue is generated through recurring membership dues, one-time annual meeting registration (with member/non-member tiering and early bird discounts), low-fee workshops ($35 per attendee with 45–65 seat caps), and academic journal subscriptions. The Program Endorsement service is fee-neutral to ACJS itself — fees are negotiated directly between certified reviewers and institutions. Marketing is event-driven (annual meeting, Employment Exchange) supplemented by digital channels (website, social media on Facebook/X/LinkedIn/Instagram, ACJS Today newsletter, acjsdirectory.org). Strategic partners include Sage Publications, the Boston Police Department (SHIELD rollout), the National Empowerment Center (Hearing Voices simulation), and the World Society of Victimology (19th International Symposium of Victimology, Montreal, June 2027).

Name

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS)

Legal name

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences

Website

https://acjs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) is an international non-profit professional association founded in 1963 that supports criminal justice education, research, and policy through its annual meeting, peer-reviewed journals, academic program endorsement, workshops, and 12 specialized sections serving scholars, students, and practitioners worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenbelt

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees with tiered pricing for different member categories. Multi-ethnic, multi-generational membership including students, academics, practitioners, and service providers.
2. Annual Meeting Registration: Conference registration fees with member discounts. Early bird pricing available. All attendees including presenters must pay registration fees. Printed program books available for $15.
3. Workshop Fees: Fee-based workshops including SHEILD ($35), OpenSource Data ($35), and other professional development offerings. Some workshops free for registered attendees.
4. Academic Program Endorsement: Fee negotiated between individual reviewers and institutions for external program review services using ACJS Quality Standards. No direct ACJS fees for the endorsement process itself.
5. Publications: Peer-reviewed journals including Justice Quarterly, Journal of Criminal Justice Education, and Justice Evaluation Journal. ACJS Today newsletter for member communications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ACJS is a non-profit professional association that delivers membership services to criminal justice scholars, practitioners, and students. Its core offerings include tiered memberships, an annual international conference with 300+ educational sessions, peer-reviewed academic journals, a suite of fee-based professional development workshops, and an Academic Program Endorsement service built on proprietary ACJS Quality Program Standards. The organization also runs an Employment Exchange connecting faculty candidates with hiring institutions.

Product overview

ACJS is an international professional association for criminal justice education and research established in 1963. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services including the Annual Meeting (major annual conference), peer-reviewed journals (Justice Quarterly, Journal of Criminal Justice Education, Justice Evaluation Journal), the ACJS Today Newsletter, and the Degree Program Directory. Professional development offerings include various workshops (Assessment Workshop, Academic Leadership Development Summit, Program Reviewer Training, Teaching Workshop, OpenSource Data Workshop, SHEILD Cybersecurity Workshop, Crisis Intervention Team training), and the Employment Exchange program connecting job seekers with employers. The organization also provides academic program review and endorsement services using ACJS Quality Standards, maintains specialized sections/communities across criminal justice subfields, and publishes the Code of Ethics and Anti-Discrimination policies for its members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACJS Annual Meeting Paid annual conference event for ACJS members and non-members featuring 300+ educational sessions, special events, and pre-conference workshops; member vs. non-member registration pricing with early-bird discounts.
• ACJS SHEILD Workshop (Seniors Harnessing Internet Education for Lasting Defense) Fee-based ($35) train-the-trainer workshop for law enforcement officers, educators, and community partners focused on senior cybercrime prevention including phishing, government impersonation, romance scams, investment fraud, and tech support scams; limited to 45 participants.
• ACJS OpenSource Data Workshop Fee-based ($35) workshop teaching open-source data collection foundations including online searching, video authentication, and satellite image analysis; limited to 45 attendees.
• ACJS Assessment Workshop Free workshop for registered Annual Meeting attendees covering academic assessment practices in criminal justice education, including differential assessment approaches across thesis/non-thesis programs and instruction formats.
• ACJS Program Reviewer Training Free three-hour training program qualifying Associate/Full Professors to serve as ACJS Certified Program Reviewers for external program reviews using ACJS Quality Program Standards.
• ACJS/Sage Professional Development Teaching Workshop Free two-day co-sponsored (with Sage Publications) teaching-skills workshop for criminal justice faculty covering innovative pedagogy; limited to 65 participants.
• ACJS Academic Leadership Development Workshop (ALDS) Free leadership training summit for aspiring and new academic leaders (under 3 years experience) covering leadership skills, inclusion, and peer networking; free for registered Annual Meeting attendees.
• ACJS Crisis Intervention Team: Hearing Voices Workshop Crisis intervention simulation workshop using an MP3-based auditory hallucination experience (developed with the National Empowerment Center) for professionals working with criminal justice clients who struggle with mental health disorders.
• ACJS Program Endorsement Institutional review and recognition service for criminal justice programs meeting 85%+ of ACJS Quality Standards (95%+ for special recognition); endorsement is valid for seven years. Fees are negotiated directly between certified reviewers and institutions.
• ACJS Employment Exchange (Jim Ruiz EE Program) Structured Annual Meeting job-matching program connecting ACJS members seeking faculty/practitioner positions with hiring institutions and agencies at each Annual Meeting.
• ACJS Peer-Reviewed Journals (Justice Quarterly; Journal of Criminal Justice Education; Justice Evaluation Journal) Subscription-based peer-reviewed academic journals publishing criminal justice and criminology research, distributed through standard academic publishing channels.
• Degree Program Directory Online searchable directory of criminal justice and criminology degree programs at various academic levels for prospective students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Academic programs meeting 85%+ of ACJS Quality Standards can earn Program Endorsement valid for seven years
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Société de criminologie du QuébecflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2027Co-host of 19th International Symposium of Victimology (June 14-18, 2027, Montreal) together with World Society of Victimology, Plaidoyer Victimes, and Justice Center for Victims of Crime. Symposium theme: Transformative Justice.
• World Society of VictimologyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2027Flagship annual symposium partner; 19th International Symposium of Victimology held at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. Event held every three years in different countries, bringing together hundreds of WVS members and victimology professionals.
• Concordia UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2027Host venue for 19th International Symposium of Victimology, June 14-18, 2027. Previously hosted 10th edition in 2000 with 1,300+ attendees from 60+ countries.
• Plaidoyer VictimesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2027Co-host of 19th International Symposium of Victimology under theme of Transformative Justice.
• Justice Center for Victims of CrimeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2027Co-host of 19th International Symposium of Victimology.
• Boston Police DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative implementation of SHIELD (Seniors Harnessing Internet Education for Lasting Defense) cybercrime prevention program in the Boston area. SHIELD grounded in Cyber-Routine Activities Theory.
• National Empowerment CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Hearing Voices simulation used in ACJS Crisis Intervention Team Workshop. Simulation provides controlled experience of auditory hallucinations for mental health awareness training.
• Sage PublicationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored Professional Development Teaching Workshop offered at ACJS Annual Meeting. Sage provides educational publishing and resources for criminal justice education.
• GrowthZonecoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite CMS platform provider (growthzone.com). ACJS websites built on GrowthZone platform for member management, event registration, and content delivery.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Sociological Association: Academic professional society combining members, peer-reviewed journals (including Criminology-style subfields), an annual meeting, and section-based communities. Comparable in structure and business model as a learned society serving scholars and practitioners.
• American Psychological Association: A far larger professional association with a comparable operating model of dues, peer-reviewed journals, annual convention, accreditation-related programs, and special-interest divisions/sections. Useful as a structural and operating-model comparable rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• American Correctional Association: Professional association for corrections practitioners offering accreditation programs, publications, an annual conference, and standards-setting. Comparable to ACJS in being a membership organization for a criminal justice sub-discipline with accreditation/endorsement-adjacent services.
• National Criminal Justice Association: Membership association representing state, tribal, and local criminal justice policymakers and practitioners, with a focus on policy forums, training, and Justice Assistance Grant administration. Directly comparable in serving the broader criminal justice field with conferences, training, and member services.
• Police Executive Research Forum: National membership organization for police executives producing research, publications, and training programs. Comparable in being a research-and-policy-focused membership association within a criminal justice sub-discipline that monetizes via member dues and reports.
• National Council on Crime and Delinquency: Membership-supported research and advocacy organization focused on juvenile and criminal justice policy. Comparable as a niche, mission-driven nonprofit membership association operating in the criminal justice field through research, training, and policy work.
• International Association of Chiefs of Police: Large professional membership association serving law enforcement leaders with training, conferences, publications, and policy expertise. Comparable to ACJS in member-segment focus, annual conference model, and policy/research advocacy role, though skewed toward practitioners rather than academics.
• World Society of Victimology: International scholarly society serving victimology researchers and practitioners and co-hosting the International Symposium of Victimology with ACJS. Directly comparable as a member-driven international association in a criminal justice sub-discipline.
• American Society of Criminology: The closest direct peer: an international professional association of criminologists and criminal justice scholars that publishes Criminology and other journals and hosts an annual meeting. Directly comparable in mission, member base (academics, students, practitioners), and product mix (conference, journals, sections, awards) to ACJS.
• National Organization for Victim Assistance: U.S.-based membership organization providing training, certification, and advocacy for victim advocates and allied professionals. Comparable in mission focus on victim services within criminal justice and in operating model (training, conferences, membership).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• XX.com/ACJS_National
• Facebookfacebook.com/people/Academy-of-Criminal-Justice-Sciences/100064494712330
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academy-of-criminal-justice-sciences-acjs
• Instagraminstagram.com/acjs_national

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS)