Although communities and place have been important topics for criminologists since the inception of the field, the Division of Communities and Place was founded in 2017. Barbara Warner (Georgia State University) led the ultimately successful effort to establish the Division.
The Division constitution can be found below:
CONSTITUTION FOR THE DIVISION OF COMMUNITIES AND PLACE
A DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY
I. Name of the Organization:
The name of the organization is The Division of Communities and Place. The Division is a constituent unit of the American Society of Criminology [hereinafter ASC] and will function in accordance with the Constitution, bylaws and policies of the ASC.
II. Mission Statement:
The Division of Communities and Place supports the advancement of knowledge and policies regarding the effects of both community context (such as social structure, culture, and social processes) and place (such as the built, social, cultural and physical environment) on crime and crime control. Communities and places are conceived broadly, as reflecting relatively small contextual units that are components of larger municipalities such as cities, counties, or suburban / rural areas. The Division recognizes the long standing fact that crime varies by place and seeks to develop the best methods and strategies for understanding and addressing the causes and consequences of crime within communities and at specific geographic locations. To achieve its mission, the division seeks to foster and promote research in this area and enhance communication and partnerships among various groups (including scholars, students, practitioners, policy makers and community members) who focus on the context in which criminal offending and responses to criminal offending occurs.
III. Purposes and Objectives
A) To advance the theoretical understanding of communities and place as they relate to crime and justice.
B) To aid in the improvement of methods and strategies in criminology designed to study communities and place and to facilitate and encourage research employing such methods.
C) To bring together ASC members interested in discussing and supporting research and theory related to the impact of communities and place on crime, criminal behavior, victimization, and justice-related issues.
D) To facilitate and encourage interaction and dissemination of communities and place-based research among ASC members, practitioners, funding agencies, policy-making bodies, and other relevant groups.
E) To organize and promote ASC conference sessions and pre-conference workshops related to communities and place issues, and
F) To support the development and growth of its members through research and scholarship reflecting the importance of communities and place in our field.
IV. Membership:
The membership of the Division will be divided into the following categories: 1) Regular members and 2) Student members. Regular membership shall be open to any non-student ASC member. Student membership shall be open to any undergraduate or graduate students enrolled at an institution of higher learning who is a student member of the ASC. A member in good standing is one who is current in both their ASC and Division dues. Members in good standing will be considered eligible for voting, serving as Officers, and serving on committees as stipulated in this Constitution and the Division’s Polices and Procedures.
V. Executive Board
A. Membership: There will be a nine (9) member Executive Board comprised of the Division’s Chair, Vice- Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, Chair-Elect or Vice- Chair Elect and five (5) Executive Counselors. (Note: Given the two -year terms of the Chair and Vice- Chair, the Chair-Elect and the Vice-Chair elect, being elected in alternating years, will be part of the Executive Board in alternating years.)
B. Duties
1. The Board will form policies for the Division, provide advice and decide the budget for the Division and approve ad hoc committees and chairs. The Division Chair will convene the Executive Board.
2. The Board will set the amount of membership dues for regular and student memberships.
3. A minimum of five (5) Board members must be present for a meeting to conduct official business.
4. The Board will meet at least once per year.
VI. The Executive Committee
A. The Executive Committee will consist of three (3) members: the Division Chair, Vice-chair, and Chair/Vice-Chair Elect.
B. Duties
1. Establishing policies for the Division with a majority vote, but only if the
issue(s) cannot wait until the next full Board Meeting.
2. A majority vote shall be a vote of two (2) members of the Executive
Committee as the membership currently stands.
3. Reporting all activities and decisions made by this Committee to the Executive Board at or before the Board’s next regularly scheduled meeting.
VII. Officers
A. Chair
1. Term of office for the Chair shall be two years, beginning one year after their election to the position of Chair. The Chair, upon election, shall serve one year on the Executive Board in the role of Chair- Elect.
2. Duties of the Chair shall include the following:
a. Provide overall direction for the Division and organize and preside over Division meetings.
b. Organize the Division’s annual meeting at the ASC annual meeting.
c. Serve as liaison with the ASC Annual Meeting Program to ensure the inclusion of panels and other relevant material relating to issues on communities and place in the ASC program.
d. Bring issues regarding communities and place, as decided by the Division, or when appropriate by the Division Executive Board, to the attention of the ASC Executive Board and to the appropriate ASC committees for their consideration.
e. Appoint all committees, with the approval of the Executive Board.
f. Prepare a midyear report of Division activities for presentation to the ASC Executive Board at the mid-year meeting and an annual report of Division activities for presentation at the annual meeting.
B. Vice-Chair
1. Term of office for The Vice-Chair shall be two years, beginning one year after their election to the position of Vice- Chair. The Vice-Chair, upon election shall serve one year on the Executive Board in the role of Vice-Chair- Elect.
2. The Duties of the Vice-Chair shall include the following:
a. Preside over Division meetings in the absence of the Chair and shall be empowered to conduct all necessary business of the Division if the office of Chair is vacant or if the Chair is unable to serve.
b. The Vice-Chair shall chair the By-Laws and Policies Committee.
c. The Vice- Chair or their designee will be responsible for assistance to the Communications Committee.
C. Secretary/Treasurer
1. The Term of office for the Secretary/Treasurer shall be two years and begin at the close of the Division’s Annual Membership Meeting following their election.
2. The duties of the Secretary/Treasurer shall include the following:
a. Record minutes of each meeting of the Division and forward a copy to each member of the Executive Committee and the Publications Committee Chair for publication in the next issue of the Division newsletter.
b. Maintain all Division records.
c. Remain in contact with the Treasurer of ASC who will maintain a separate account in the ASC treasury for the Division. The Secretary/Treasurer will inform Division membership of the Divisions balance, debts, credits, etc. at the Division’s Annual Membership Meeting. The Secretary/Treasurer will notify the Executive Board of any financial issues that arise between Annual Membership Meetings.
D. Executive Counselors:
1. There will be five Executive Counselors, elected in alternating years. Each Executive Counselor will serve a term of three years beginning at the close of the Division’s Annual Membership Meeting following their election.
2. Each Executive Counselor will chair one of five standing committees (Nominations, Awards, Publications, Communications, and Program). (As noted above, the Vice – Chair serves as Chair of the sixth standing committee: Constitution and By –laws Committee.)
3. Executive Counselors will assist the Chair with executive decisions for the Division.
E. Historian
1. In addition to the above Officers, the Division shall appoint a member to serve in the role of Division Historian.
2. The Historian is not a member of the Board.
3. The Historian will be appointed by the Division Chair and shall serve at the Chair’s discretion.
4. The Duties of the Historian include:
a. Documenting the history of the division through photographs and summaries of important events.
b. Maintaining both electronic and paper copies of all the historical records of the Division.
5. The Historian shall turn over copies of all historical documents to the Secretary at the end of their term or whenever requested by the Chair.
F. Elections
1. Elections of Vice-Chair and three Executive Counselors shall occur in even numbered years. Elections for the Chair, Secretary/ Treasurer, and the other two Executive Counselors shall occur in odd numbered years.
2. Nominations for all Executive Board members shall come through the Nominations committee and will be forwarded to the regular Division members in good standing for voting. At least two names shall be forwarded for each position and write-ins will be allowed.
G. Procedures
Elections will follow the procedures incorporated in the Policies and Procedures of this Division.
H. Qualifications:
Nominees and elected officers must be Regular members in good standing of the Division.
I. Term of Office:
The term of office of each incoming officer will begin at the close of the Annual Division meeting following their election. Elected officers may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms in the same office. Upon completion of the second consecutive term of office, a person must wait for a period of at least one full term before running again for the same office.
J. Vacancies:
Vacancies which occur during the term of office for the Vice-Chair, Secretary/Treasurer or Executive Counselor of the Division, shall be filled until the next election by appointment of the Chair, with the approval of the Executive Board. A vacancy in the office of the Chair will be filled by the current Vice- Chair. Vacancies may be filled at any time, and shall be filled for the remainder of the term of office.
VIII. Standing Committees:
A. Nominations Committee
1.The Nominations committee shall consist of two members in good standing within the Division, along with the Committee Chair who is an Executive Counselor.
2. The Duties of the Nominations committee include:
a. Annually oversee the development of a slate of officers for the Division.
b. Forward a copy of the full slate of officers along with nominees for Division awards, to the Division Chair.
c. The Chair of the Nominations Committee (along with the Chair of the Communications Committee) will count and verify the votes from elections and awards.
d. The Chair of the Nominations Committee will forward the results of all elections to the Division Chair along with the verified counts.
e. Provide a written annual summary of Committee work/accomplishments to the President and Secretary/ Treasurer.
B. Awards Committee
1. The Awards committee shall consist of two members in good standing within the Division, along with the Committee Chair who is an Executive Counselor.
2. The duties of the Awards Committee include:
a. Annually develop a list of nominees for positions within the ASC and forward them to the ASC Nominations Committee.
b. Oversee the development of Division Awards and nominees for those awards.
c. Forward information regarding Division awards and calls for nominees to the Communications Committee Chair.
d. Forward nominees for Division awards to the Nominations Committee for inclusion on the ballot.
e. Provide a written annual summary of Committee work/accomplishments to the President and Secretary/ Treasurer.
C. Publications Committee:
1. The Publications Committee shall consist of two members in good standing within the Division, along with the Committee Chair who is an Executive Counselor.
2. The Duties of the Publications committee include:
a. Create an annual Newsletter
b. Develop relationships with journal editors to create initiatives for publication outlets, in the form of special issues for communities and place topical publications
c. Provide a written annual summary of Committee work/accomplishments to the President and Secretary/ Treasurer.
D. Communications Committee:
1. The Communications Committee shall consist of two members in good standing within the Division, along with the Committee Chair who is an Executive Counselor.
2. The Duties of the Communications committee include:
a. Maintain a listserv of all current and past members.
b. Create and distribute all advertisements, communications and announcements, including announcements of meetings, awards, nominations, etc.
c. Distribute the ballots for elections to all regular members in good standing.
d. The Chair of the Communications Committee (along with the Chair of the Nominations committee) will count and verify the votes for elections and awards.
e. Provide a written annual summary of Committee work/accomplishments to the President and Secretary/ Treasurer
E. Program committee
1. The Program Committee shall consist of two members in good standing within the Division, along with the Committee Chair who is an Executive Counselor.
2. The Duties of the Program committee include:
a. Provide a list of communities and place panels to the ASC for publication in the program.
b. Work to develop Communities and place panels, roundtables, authors meet critics panels and other appropriate panels.
c. Working with the Division Chair, organize Division social at the ASC annual meeting.
d. Organize/manage the Division’s membership table at the ASC annual meeting.
e. Provide a written annual summary of Committee work/accomplishments to the President and Secretary/ Treasurer
F. Constitution and By-Laws Committee
1. The Constitution and By-Laws Committee shall consist of two members in good standing with the Division, along with the Vice-Chair of the Division who will Chair the Committee.
2. The Duties of the Constitution and By-Laws Committee include:
a. Review the Constitution and Bylaws and make appropriate
recommendations to the Executive Board and/or the Division membership
at large for their review.
b. At least once every five years, review the Constitution and By-laws and bring
forth to the Executive Board all suggested changes
G. Qualifications for Committee members
1. Committees are Chaired by members of the Executive Board
2. Committee members must be members in good standing in the Division.
IX. Board Policy
A. The Executive Board may establish policies for the Division with a majority vote of the Board. That would require a vote of five (5) members as the Executive Board membership currently stands.
B. The Executive Committee may establish policies for the Division with a majority vote, but only on issues that cannot wait until the next full Board Meeting. That would require a vote of two (2) members as the Executive Committee membership currently stands.
X. Policy Statements
A. Policy statements can be made by the Division as a whole. Such statements
require a majority vote of the members in good standing who vote in the said
election.
B. Policy statements can be made by the Executive Board of the Division if
the proposed policy statement receives a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive
Board. That would require a vote of six (6) members as the Executive Board
membership currently stands. Such an approved statement would carry the by-
line, Executive Board of the Division of Communities and Place of the American
Society of Criminology. The Executive Board may not make policy statements on
behalf of the Division.
C. Policy statements can be made by the Executive Committee of the Division if the
proposed policy statement receives a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive
Committee. That would require a vote of two(2) members as the Executive
Board membership currently stands. Such an approved statement would carry
the by-line, Executive Committee of the Division of Communities and Place of the
American Society of Criminology. The Executive Committee may not make
policy statements on behalf of the Division nor the Executive Board.
XI. Amending the Constitution:
A. Amendments may be proposed by any member of the Division (in writing and submitted to the Division Chair), by the Executive Board, or by the Constitutional and By-laws Committee, but all such proposed amendments may only go forward as a qualified amendment under one of the following three (3) conditions.
1. The amendment receives the written support of one-fifth of the Division members in good standing;
2. The proposed amendment is approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Board. That would require a vote of six (6) members as the Executive Board membership currently stands.
3. The proposed amendment is introduced at the Division’s Annual Meeting and receives a two-thirds affirmative vote of those members in good standing who are present at the Division’s Annual Business Meeting.
B. A proposed amendment meeting any one of the requirements outlined in
Paragraph A, must be certified as a qualified amendment by a two-thirds (2/3)
vote of the Executive Board. That would require a vote of six (6) members as
the Executive Board membership currently stands.
C. A qualified amendment will be placed on a ballot and approved when it receives
a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the Division members in good standing
who cast a vote in the said election.
1. The qualified amendment shall be voted on utilizing the mail and/or electronic ballots.
2. Members in good standing have 14 days to cast their ballots.
3. Ballots will be counted/votes verified, by at least two (2) Executive Board
Members, generally the Division Chair and Vice-Chair.
4. The results of the vote will be reported to the Division Chair and Executive Board of the Division prior to the next Annual Division meeting.
5. An approved amendment shall take effect at the conclusion of the first annual meeting following the vote on the amendment.
D. Amendments are subject to the approval of the ASC Executive Board.
Policies and Procedures of the Division of Communities and Place
Pursuant to the Constitution of the Division of Communities and Place, a Division within the American Society of Criminology, the following policies and procedures shall be adhered to.
I. Purpose
The purpose of this manual is to set forth the general policies and practices that guide the operations of the Division of Community and Place (hereinafter referred to as the “Division”). These policies and practices will evolve over time through the Executive Board’s decisions and needs for clarity in relation to ongoing procedures.
II. Nominations for Officers
A. The Nominations Committee shall oversee the development of a slate of officers for the Division. As part of the development of a slate of officers the Nominations committee shall contact members in good standing for the current year and invite them to submit nominations two months prior to closing nominations. Any Regular member receiving nominations from 20 percent of members in good standing shall be entered on the ballot for the designated office. If more than two persons qualify for nomination to a specific office, the two nominees with the most nominations will be put forward on the ballot. If there are less than two nominees for any specific office, the Nominations Committee, subject to the approval of the Executive Board, may place additional names on the ballot. The ballot shall include a place for write-in candidates.
B. The Nominations committee will contact all nominees and confirm their willingness to serve if elected and to request statements regarding their goals and qualifications.
C. The Nominations committee will prepare a ballot with the names of candidates for each office as well as their biographical and goal statements.
D. The slate of candidates for all offices to be elected shall be presented to the Executive Board by September 1.
III. Election Procedures for Officers
A. Ballots shall be distributed electronically each year by the end of the second full week in September.
B. Persons who have not yet paid their dues for the current year shall receive a statement to this effect four (4) weeks before ballots are distributed. The statement shall say that they are not members in good standing and may not vote in the current election unless dues are paid prior to ballots being distributed.
C. All Regular members in good standing at the time at which ballots are distributed shall be entitled to vote. Voting shall be by secret ballot.
D. Voting will be done electronically and carried out by the Communications Committee.
E. Members will have 40 days to vote. The deadline will be announced on the ballot and no votes will be counted after that date.
F. Votes will be reviewed and verified by the Chairs of the Communications Committee and the Nominations Committee. The Chair of the Nominations committee will notify the Division Chair of the results, who will then report the results to the Executive Board and general membership.
G. For Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary/Treasurer, the candidates receiving the most votes cast shall be elected to the position. For Executive Counselors the three (3) candidates (in even numbered years) and the two (2) candidates (in odd numbered years) receiving the most votes shall be elected.
H. Tied elections shall be resolved by a run-off election.
IV. Altering Policies and Procedures
A. The Executive Board shall maintain/update the Policies and Procedures manual (which will include the Constitution and By-laws).
B. The Policies and Procedures set forth in this document can be altered by a simple majority vote of the Board at any time.