Crime and Social Justice began as a task group within the Union of Radical Criminologists, an organization formed in the summer of 1972 by a small group of students and teachers. We saw the need for a publication which would bring together the analysis and programs of people working to build a movement to overcome the oppressive criminal justice system and the system of exploitation which it supports.

The response to the first issue of Crime and Social Justice has been favorable. New subscriptions arrive daily, and we have received encouraging letters. This support indicates that there is a need for a journal which is trying to develop a left perspective and practice on crime and social justice. Even within the university, the field of radical criminology is coming to be taken more seriously. The November 1974 conference of the American Society of Criminology used Crime and Social Justice as the basis for discussion in the Radical Criminology session.

One of the weaknesses of the journal, however, is the relatively few contributions from people involved in political work outside the university. This reflects the fact that the journal collective is university-based, as well as the fact that political groups frequently find it difficult to take the time to summarize and write about their experiences for other people. We encourage individuals and organizations to send us reports on and analyses of their work.

The organizational structure of the journal collective has been another source of problems. We are trying to improve our working relationship with the typesetters, printers, and graphic artists who work on production of the journal. We are learning to appreciate their criticism, expertise, and deadlines. New organizational forms such as sabbaticals for journal members and more independent sub-groups have proved helpful. Criticism/self-criticism has facilitated the sharing of knowledge within the collective. Given the uncertain future of the School of Criminology and the possible disintegration of the journal base in Berkeley, we are also beginning to explore ways in which sections of the journal might be decentralized.

This issue includes articles on Cuba, Vietnam, India, and on European criminology. The United States government is involved in developing and legitimizing criminal justice systems around the world in Brazil, South Vietnam, South Korea, Israel, Iran, and Ethiopia. We cannot treat criminology as only a domestic issue without restricting our understanding of both repression and resistance. We need to analyze the international implications of the United States criminal justice system because our struggles here are deeply affected by those throughout the world. We need to break through the insularity of bourgeois criminology in order to transform a system which is itself criminal.

Struggle takes many forms, and this issue includes reports on our fight against political repression at Berkeley, the resistance of Vietnamese political prisoners, local organizing against the police in two California communities, and prisoners' writings. The article on the San Quentin Six describes an attack on the prison system through the courts, and the report from a women's prison project suggests ways of using education to build unity between prisoners and outsiders.

The Pedagogy section is designed to promote a radical theory and practice of education. We have found that radical course content does not eliminate the repressive relationships of the traditional classroom setting. Bruce Rappaport's article attempts to analyze the ways in which the oppressive social relationships of capitalism are reproduced in the classroom, and he outlines techniques to overcome these barriers to learning. We want to publish reports and reading lists from courses with a critical perspective, and we are looking for information on other teaching techniques such as community work and research projects.

We see the Book Review section as more than just an assessment of recent scholarship. We view it as a place to contrast how liberal and radical scholars treat similar issues, and to provide comradely and constructive criticism of writers moving in a radical direction. We will also review books which contribute to radical criminology by analyzing economics and politics, including books by political activists and prisoners. In future issues, we want to use the book review section to inform people about publications that are not distributed nationally, such as informational pamphlets, newsletters, and position papers.

We welcome contributions that analyze the political and economic issues of crime and delinquency; that construct new definitions of crime which are in the interests of oppressed peoples and exploited classes; that analyze the legal and extra-legal strategies of repression; and that contribute to the development of popular programs of crime control. We want the journal to serve people organizing within and against the criminal justice system, and we appreciate comments and criticism.