A consortium of researchers dedicated to improving the understanding of the human causes and consequences of terrorism

ASC conference to highlight new terrorism division

Numerous START researchers will be among the scholars from around the country and from other countries who will gather in Washington, D.C., for the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) focusing on the politics of crime and justice. The meeting will be held at the Washington Hilton, Nov. 18-21.

ASC is an international organization whose members pursue scholarly, scientific, and professional knowledge concerning the measurement, etiology, consequences, prevention, control, and treatment of crime and delinquency.

This year’s meeting is especially noteworthy for scholars and policy makers interested in terrorism and bias crimes because it marks the first official meeting of the ASC’s newly created Division on Terrorism & Bias Crimes (DTBC)

“The creation of this Division is a very important milestone,” said Gary LaFree, START Director and former ASC President. “The new division recognizes the importance of understanding the human causes and consequences of terrorism and bias crime. It represents the commitment of ASC to advancing scientific knowledge on terrorism and bias crimes.”

The new DTBC includes START Director Gary LaFree as Chair, START researcher Josh Freilich from John Jay College as Vice Chair, START researcher Sue-Ming Yang from George Mason University as Secretary/Treasurer, and Brian Forst, American University and  START researchers Laura Dugan from the University of Maryland and Jeff Gruenewald from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, as the Executive Board.   The ASC meetings, the largest criminology research association in the world, will include more than 50 panels and talks related to terrorism at this year’s meeting.   

LaFree said, “The new division will facilitate a dialogue between scholars, practitioners, policy makers, community leaders and students concerned about terrorism and bias crimes.”

The division will hold its first meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 3:30-4:50 p.m. in the Hilton Hotel, Georgetown West.