What are the benefits of joining the British Society of Criminology?

Joining the British Society of Criminology (BSC) gives members networking opportunities, access to funding and awards, and personal subscriptions to two criminology journals: Criminology & Criminal Justice (the Society's official journal) and the British Journal of Criminology. It is aimed at academic and professional people engaged in work, teaching, research or public education about crime, criminal behaviour and the criminal justice system in the UK. If you want those specific benefits and are working or studying in a related area, membership is the relevant route; if you only need occasional news or events, the public site may be enough.

What membership includes

According to the BSC's own description of its membership benefits, joining provides:

• Networking opportunities — connection with a membership based in the UK and overseas.
• Funding — access to Society funding.
• Awards — eligibility for Society awards.
• Journal subscriptions — a personal subscription to Criminology & Criminal Justice and a subscription to the British Journal of Criminology.
• Members' area access — including members-only content such as the monthly book draw. One example listed on the site is a draw for Autism, Criminal Defence and Access to Justice by Roxanna Dehaghani and Tom Smith (Routledge), with a closing date of 30 September.

Who the Society is for

The BSC states that it aims to further the interests and knowledge of both academic and professional people engaged in any aspect of work or teaching, research or public education about crime, criminal behaviour and the criminal justice systems in the United Kingdom. It has existed for 60 years and has a wide-ranging membership in the UK and overseas.

That scope matters for your decision: the benefits are oriented toward people who engage with criminology professionally or academically, rather than a general-interest audience.

How to join

1. Go to the Membership page on the BSC website.
2. Read the membership details there to see what is currently offered and any requirements.
3. Apply through the route described on that page.

The homepage presents a "Join the British Society of Criminology" prompt and directs interested people to the Membership page for more information. The site excerpt does not state membership fees, so check the Membership page for current pricing and terms before deciding.

What you can access without joining

Some BSC activity is public, which is worth knowing before you pay for membership:

• The BSC Blog is readable on the site, with posts such as "Developing an anti-racist & whole-system model for pre-court diversion in Wales" by Professor Mark Jones.
• Events are listed publicly, for example the BSC Green Criminology Research Network Webinar on 30 September 2026, with full information on the Events page.
• Jobs are listed publicly, such as a Senior Lecturer in Criminology post at Liverpool Hope University closing 05 Oct 2026, with a full list on the Jobs page.
• Latest News items appear on the homepage.

So if your interest is mainly keeping up with events, jobs and blog posts, you can do that without a membership. The member-specific value is concentrated in networking, funding, awards, the two journal subscriptions and the members' area.

Making the decision

For current fees and the exact application process, use the Membership page, since the available site information describes benefits but not pricing.