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33 Aust. & N.Z. J. Criminology i (2000)

handle is hein.journals/anzjc33 and id is 1 raw text is: PRESIDENT'S M ESSAGE Diversity in Criminology A t our most recent Annual Meeting in Perth, I referred to Australian and New Zealand Criminology as a mansion with many rooms. And indeed it is. We count among our colleagues Theorists and Practitioners; Idealists and Pragmatists; Advocates and Analysts; Apologists and Critics; 'Pure' and Applied researchers; Quantifiers, and those whom, for want of a better term, one might describe as 'Poets'. This diversity is worth celebrating, not lamenting. But here, as is often the case in collectivities generally, diversity is accompanied by rivalry. And when such rivalry is accompanied by recrimination, this is lamentable. Since I first joined our Society a quarter century ago, many new markets for Australasian criminological knowledge have emerged. Fellow scholars have been joined by vast numbers of students, the private sector, international NGOs, police and other agencies of the criminal justice system, as well as government Ministers, in taking an interest in our work. Among those who now seek our products, some not long ago ignored us; others held us in contempt or ridicule (Grey, 1987). We should be relieved that times have changed, and our credibility is now firmly established. Indeed, our work is now actively sought out by those who seek to create a safer, more just society. Governments in Australia and New Zealand are increasingly turning to criminolo- gists, be they situated in universities or recruited into the ranks of the public sector, for policy-relevant knowledge. Of this we should be proud. In Perth, it was apparent that there is within our ranks a degree of lingering concern about the organisation of criminology. Some colleagues perceive political interference with criminological inquiry and an erosion of academic freedom. Coming as I do from outside of academe, I cannot speak with authority about life at the academic coalface. My impression is that meritocracy rules, and that by and large, quality work gets rewarded, while inferior work does not. Some of our most eminent colleagues are highly respected in both academic and government circles. The fact that commercial engagements (as distinct from grants for 'pure' research) may have conditions attached regarding confidentiality or ownership of intellectual property does not constitute interference. Nor is it inappropriate for sources of funding to specify priorities, and to identify the kinds of knowledge that they deem to be useful. Given the diversity of our profession, and given the diversity of consumers of Australasian criminology, universal consensus is unrealistic. What matters is ongoing viability, and the various producers of criminological knowledge seem to have delivered enough of value to our various constituents that our original, independent contributions are highly respected. Our Journal reflects this quality and diversity, and is held in great esteem. Although government-funded researchers, or criminologists working in govern- ment, may have little to offer their post-modernist colleagues (and vice versa), this THE AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGY VOLUME 33 NUMBER I 2000 Pp. i-ii I

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