The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law

What The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law does

The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law (ISRCL) is an international non-governmental association founded in 1988 and headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its membership comprises judges, legislators, lawyers, academics, governmental officials, police, and corrections professionals drawn from at least nine countries spanning North America, Europe, Africa, and Oceania. The organization's mission is to facilitate meaningful exchanges and active work on the administration of criminal justice nationally and internationally.

ISRCL's core products and services are the Criminal Law Forum peer-reviewed journal, published three to four times per year; annual international conferences that rotate host cities (Vancouver 2024, Edinburgh 2025, Montréal 2026); tiered membership subscriptions; and educational webinars covering topics such as COVID-19 impacts on criminal justice and Indigenous Courts across jurisdictions. The underlying delivery model is association-based rather than technology-platform-based: conferences and journal distribution run through self-serve web portals (cvent.com, JotForm), and content is produced through partnerships with allied institutions such as Courthouse Libraries BC.

ISRCL operates as a non-profit association with no external parent company, private equity, or venture capital backing. Revenue is generated primarily through membership fees (CAD $50 to $300 per year across tiers including Young Justice Professionals and group memberships) and conference registration fees (CAD $400 to $1,400 per attendee). Governance is provided by a Board of Directors, Management Committee, Executive Committee, The Council, and an Editorial Board. The organization employs 11-50 staff and runs a lean cost structure relative to the international breadth of its programming.

Name

The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law

Legal name

International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law

Website

https://isrcl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law is an international non-governmental association that convenes judges, legislators, lawyers, academics, and criminal justice officials across multiple countries through a peer-reviewed journal, an annual rotating international conference, tiered memberships, and educational webinars.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJABAK

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Educational & Academic Publishing (Textbooks, Scholarly, STM)

SECONDARYEDAAALAB

Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

Keywords

• Criminal law reform
• Professional association
• Criminal justice conferences
• Legal scholarship journal
• Judicial networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ISRCL is an international non-governmental professional association that convenes criminal justice professionals (judges, legislators, lawyers, academics, government officials, police, and corrections professionals) and delivers a tiered membership program, the peer-reviewed Criminal Law Forum journal, annual international conferences, and educational webinars. Its products and services are oriented toward advancing research, dialogue, and policy work on criminal law reform nationally and internationally.

Product overview

The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law (ISRCL) operates as a professional association rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings consist of the Criminal Law Forum journal (published 3-4 times annually), annual International Conferences (including ISRCL 2026 in Montréal, 2025 in Edinburgh, and 2024 in Vancouver), membership programs with tiered pricing, and educational webinars on criminal justice topics. These products and services support the organization's mission to foster meaningful exchanges and actively work on criminal justice administration nationally and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Criminal Law Forum: Official journal of the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law, published 3-4 times per year

Products and services

• ISRCL Membership Annual membership program for individual criminal justice professionals and groups, providing access to the Criminal Law Forum journal, discounted conference registration, and access to the ISRCL international network. Single memberships are income-tiered ($100-$300 CAD/year); a Young Justice Professional membership is offered at $50 CAD/year; group memberships price a primary member at $300 CAD and subsequent members at $80 CAD each.
• Criminal Law Forum Journal Peer-reviewed scholarly journal serving as the official publication of the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law, distributed to members 3-4 times per year and covering criminal law reform and criminal justice administration topics.
• ISRCL International Conference Annual international conference bringing together judges, legislators, lawyers, academics, and criminal justice professionals from around the world to discuss pressing issues in criminal law reform. Registration tiers include ISRCL members ($1,300 CAD), non-members ($1,400 CAD), YJP members ($400 CAD), single-day passes ($475 CAD), two-day passes ($700 CAD), and accompanying-person passes ($450 CAD).
• ISRCL Webinars Online educational webinar program delivered by ISRCL, addressing contemporary criminal justice topics for practitioners and scholars. Examples include a 2-hour webinar on COVID-19's impact on criminal justice systems in Africa and Europe and a 2-hour panel discussion on Indigenous Courts in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Courthouse Libraries BCmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCourthouse Libraries BC partnered with ISRCL to organize a webinar on Indigenous Courts: A Cross-Jurisdictional Perspective, comparing Indigenous Courts in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This collaboration brought together legal professionals from multiple jurisdictions to discuss criminal justice approaches for Indigenous populations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• International Centre for the Prevention of Crime: Non-profit focused on crime prevention policy and practice internationally. Adjacent to ISRCL's criminal justice reform mission, overlapping on convening and policy publications.

Broad incumbents

• International Bar Association (IBA): Global organization for legal practitioners offering conferences, publications, and policy work. Overlaps with ISRCL on international legal professional convening but covers all practice areas.
• American Bar Association (ABA): The largest U.S. professional association for lawyers, with a Criminal Justice Section. Comparable as a membership organization for legal professionals but vastly broader in scope than ISRCL's criminal-law focus.

Direct peers

• American Society of Criminology (ASC): International scholarly society of criminologists and criminal justice academics. Comparable as a membership-based professional society publishing peer-reviewed journals and hosting annual conferences.
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL): U.S.-based membership organization for criminal defense lawyers offering conferences, publications, and policy advocacy. Comparable member-driven model serving criminal justice practitioners.
• International Association of Penal Law (AIDP/IAPL): The leading international scholarly association focused on penal law and criminal justice reform. Directly comparable to ISRCL in mission, international membership base, and conference-led engagement model.
• International Centre for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Policy: Vancouver-based (same city as ISRCL) centre affiliated with the Allard School of Law focused on criminal law reform and policy. Highly comparable scholarly mission and Canadian institutional footprint.

Regional players

• Commonwealth Lawyers Association: Association serving lawyers across Commonwealth jurisdictions, with significant overlap with ISRCL's English-speaking international membership base and conference model.
• Criminal Lawyers' Association (Ontario): Canadian specialty bar association for criminal defense practitioners. Comparable as a membership association focused on criminal law practice and reform.
• Law Society of British Columbia: Provincial regulator and professional body for lawyers in BC, sharing ISRCL's Vancouver base. Comparable as a membership organization for legal professionals in the same jurisdiction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/society_reform?lang=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-society-for-the-reform-of-criminal-law

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law