January 2003

Proposal submitted to the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund Workshops to set a national agenda for research on race/ethnicity, crime and criminal justice.

April 2003

The NSF funded workshop proposal as a supplement to Lauren J. Krivo and Ruth D. Peterson’s grant on “Understanding Crime and Community: A National Neighborhood Crime Study.”

August 2003

Meeting of seven participants designated as “the planning committee” to develop a plan for a series of workshops to undertake activities funded in the supplemental grant from NSF.

The meeting was held in conjunction with the 2003 Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA), Atlanta. The committee agreed to John Hagan’s recommendation that an edited volume be developed as a vehicle for setting a national agenda on race/ethnicity, crime, and justice.

November 2003

First Workshop on "Setting a National Agenda for Research on Race/Ethnicity, Crime, and Criminal Justice," held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology (ASC), Denver.

Approximately 20 scholars participated in this inaugural workshop. Papers for the proposed volume were discussed and the decision was made to propose to establish a summer research institute for “young” faculty from underrepresented groups.

July 2004

The second Workshop on "Setting a National Agenda for Research on Race/Ethnicity, Crime, and Criminal Justice" was held at Ohio State University (OSU), Columbus, Ohio.

Papers for the proposed edited volume were presented and critiqued.

The group also held a Symposium on "Inequality, Crime, and Justice: Challenges and Prospects," in collaboration with OSU’s Department of Sociology. This symposium marked the first of what would become many serendipitous activities of the “study group.”

September 2005

On behalf of the group, Krivo and Peterson applied for and received (in September) a two-year grant from NSF for “Research and Training for a Better Understanding of the Race/Ethnicity-Crime and Criminal Justice Link.”

The grant provided funds for undertaking a pilot Crime and Justice Summer Research Institute. 

November 2005

The group held its third Workshop on "Setting a National Agenda for Research on Race/Ethnicity, Crime, and Criminal Justice" in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the ASC, Toronto, Canada.

Final papers for the edited volume were presented. The workshop also served as a planning conference for what became the Crime and Justice Summer Research Institute (SRI). Details for components of a summer research institute were identified.

December 2005

Geoff Ward named the group, calling it the Racial Democracy, Crime and Justice Network (RDCJN), and wrote its mission statement, which emphasizes the implications of crime and justice processing for citizens’ participation in democracy.

July 2006

The Network held its pilot SRI as well as its first conventional RDCJN Workshop at Ohio State University (OSU), Columbus, Ohio.

In the process, it set in place structures for both the SRI and the Workshop that have lasted (with some modifications) through to date (Summer 2021) 15 Annual SRIs and RDCJN Workshops. 

August 2006

The Network published The Many Colors of Crime:  Inequalities of Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in America edited by Ruth D. Peterson, Lauren J. Krivo, and John Hagan. New York University Press.

As designed, the collective works in the book put forth a research agenda for providing a broader and deeper understanding of the relationship between race/ethnicity and crime/justice.

July 2007

Krivo and Peterson applied for and received (July) a 3-year NSF grant for a project entitled, “Race/Ethnicity, Crime, and Criminal Justice: Diverse Research and Participation in the Academy.”

The grant allowed for the continuation of the SRI, the RDCJN Workshop, and other activities.

October 2009

Peterson and Krivo received a 3-year NSF grant for the project, “Racial Democracy, Crime, and Justice: Broadening Research and Participation.”

The grant provided for continuation of the SRI, the RDCJN Workshop, and other activities.

2012

Peterson and Krivo received a 3-year NSF grant for “Broadening Participation and Perspectives on Crime and Justice Research.”

The grant allowed for continuation of the SRI and the RDCJN Workshop.

Spring 2015

Jody Miller, Rod Brunson, and Ruth Peterson received a 3-year NSF grant for “Collaborative Research:  Broadening Participation and Perspectives in the Study of Crime and Justice.”

This collaborative grant reflected the transition of most RDCJN activities from Ohio State University to Rutgers University-Newark. In addition to conventional on-going activities, a supplemental proposal to this grant included support for a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), bringing a new dimension to the activities of the RDCJN. The National Institute of Justice provided the funds for the REU through a collaborative arrangement with NSF. This represents the first instance that substantial support for RDCJN activities have come from a national agency other than NSF.

July 2015

The RDCJN held its 10th Annual SRI and 10th Annual Workshop at OSU, Columbus, Ohio.

This program celebrated the end of an era for the network, with Peterson and Krivo retiring as central coordinators of the Network’s activities, and welcomed Miller and Brunson into the role of RDCJN coordinators. Peterson served in a formal but supplemental role for the next three years; Krivo served in a more informal role. The activities of the RDCJN were transitioned to Rutgers University-Newark following the 2015 SRI and RDCJN Workshop.

July 2016

The Eleventh Annual SRI and Eleventh Annual RDCJN Workshop were held at Rutgers-Newark under the auspices of Miller and Brunson.

Spring 2017

An inaugural REU was undertaken featuring faculty and students from four programs across the country: Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine; Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis; Sociology and Criminology, University of New Mexico; and, Criminal Justice, Rutgers University-Newark.  REU activities followed in 2018 and 2019, and were slated for 2020.  The REU site for 2018 was Rutgers-Newark under the auspices of Sarah Lageson.  For 2019, the sites were Howard University (Marie Jipquep-Akhtar) and San Jose State University (Ericka Adams and Claudio Vera Sanchez), and for 2020 they were slated to be Howard University, Manhattan College (Madeleine Novich), and San Jose State University.

2018

Brunson, Miller, and Krivo received a grant from the William T. Grant Foundation for “Collaborative Research: Broadening Participation and Perspectives in the Study of Crime and Justice.” This grant represents the second time an agency apart from NSF has contributed funds for the activities of the RDCJN.

Miller and Brunson received a 3-year grant from NSF for “Collaborative Research: Broadening Participation and Perspectives in the Study of Crime and Justice.” This grant means that the National Science Foundation has provided continuous support for the activities of what is now known as the Racial Democracy Crime and Justice Network for 18 consecutive years.

March 2020

The RDCJN established its first newsletter (RDCJN News) and published its first issue in March.

April 2020

Due to the international outbreak of the Coronavirus, for the first time in its history (since 2003), the RDCJN did not hold a meeting of its constituents during 2020, and for the first time since 2006, the Network did not hold an Annual Crime and Justice Summer Research Institute.

July 2021

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, for the first time in its history (since 2006). The RDCJN held its Summer Research Institute (SRI) virtually.  It also invited a larger than usual group of Fellows, in part to compensate for not holding the SRI in 2020 (due to COVID19).

The Network also held its 18th Annual RDCJN Workshop virtually during 2021.  The theme of 2021 conference was “Historical Roots and Contemporary Manifestations of Institutional Racism.”  Both the SRI and the RDCJN Workshop were quite successful, despite the virtual venue format.

July 2023

The RDCJN moved to the University of Maryland, College Park in the Criminology and Criminal Justice department, headed by co-directors Rod K. Brunson and María B. Vélez.