Constitution for the Division of BioPsychoSocial Criminology
I. Name of the Organization
The name of the organization is The Division of Biopsychosocial Criminology (DBC). 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. Purposes and Objectives
A. To advance understanding and knowledge amongst criminologists on the interface between social science, psychological science, and biological science in the etiology and treatment of antisocial and criminal behavior.
B. To bring biological, psychological, and social researchers together to help develop a more interdisciplinary research on the intersection of social, psychological, and biological influences on criminal behavior, and to develop new theoretical perspectives on crime.
C. To facilitate interactions with other groups outside of ASC.
D. To better promote and organize symposia at ASC on biopsychosocial criminology, and to enhance the intellectual quality of these sessions.
III. Membership
A. The membership of the Division shall be divided into the following categories:
(1) full members, and (2) student members.
B. Full membership shall include any member in good standing of the ASC, who is paying regular membership dues to the Division, and who does not fall within, or if falling within does not choose to be included within, the Student Member category.
C. Student membership shall be open to any undergraduate or graduate student enrolled at an institution of higher education whose enrolment is certified by a regular faculty or administrative official of the institution, and who is a student member of the ASC.
D. Annual dues for all categories of the Division membership shall be set by the Executive Board of the Division. Dues shall be payable annually in concert with the dues of the ASC.
E. A member in good standing is one who is current in both their ASC and Division dues.
F. Regular 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 Policies and Procedures.
IV. Executive Board
A. There will be an Executive Board comprised of the Division’s current officers, immediate past chair, and three Executive Counsellors.
B. This Board will set policies for the Division, provide advice, decide the budget for the Division, and approve committee chairs.
C. The Division Chair will chair and convene the Executive Board.
D. All members of the Executive Board must be members of the Division in good standing.
E. A quorum of the Executive Board shall consist of one-half of the voting members plus one.
F. The Executive Board will arrange an Annual Membership Meeting in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the ASC.
G. The Chair can co-opt additional Executive Board members such as the Newsletter Editor and the Graduate Student Representative.
V. 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.
VI. Officers
A. Chair
1. The Chair will provide executive direction for the Division and will preside over Division meetings.
2. The Chair or their designee will serve as liaison with the ASC Annual Meeting Program to ensure the inclusion of panels relating to issues on BioPsychoSocial Criminology.
3. The Chair or their designee shall bring issues regarding biopsychosocial research, as decided by the Division, to the attention of the ASC Executive Board and to appropriate ASC committees for their consideration.
4. The Chair will appoint all committees and committee chairs, with the approval of the Executive Board.
B. Vice-Chair
1. The Vice-chair will 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.
2. The Vice-chair or their designee will chair the Newsletter Committee.
3. The Vice-chair will prepare reports on Division activities for presentation to the ASC Executive Board.
4. The Vice-chair will take overall responsibility for the Division website.
C. Secretary/Treasurer
1. The Secretary/Treasurer will keep the records (including financial and membership records and minutes) of the Division.
2. The Secretary/Treasurer will record minutes of each meeting of the Division and will forward a copy to each member of the Executive Committee and the Newsletter Committee Chair for publication in the next issue of the Division newsletter.
3. The Secretary/Treasurer will be responsible for the dissemination of Division news in The Criminologist, the Division newsletter, or in any other appropriate outlet.
4. The Secretary/Treasurer will remain in contact with the Treasurer of ASC who will maintain a separate account in the ASC treasury for the Division. The Secretary will inform the Division membership of the Division’s balance, debts, credits, etc. at the Division’s Annual Membership Meeting. The Secretary will notify the Executive Board of any financial issues that arise between Annual Membership Meetings.
D. Executive Counsellors:
1. There will be three Executive Counsellors, elected in alternating years.
2. Executive Counsellors will assist the Chair with executive decisions for the Division, and each will chair at least one committee of the Division.
E. Historian
1. The Office of Historian is not a member of the Board.
2. The Historian will be appointed by the Division Chair and shall serve at the Chair’s discretion.
3. 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
4. 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. Any member of the Executive Board may be suspended from office by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board and may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Division members present at an Annual Membership Meeting. Non-attendance at meetings and/or non-response to email communications may subject the member to the risk of removal from the Executive Board.
VII. Elections
A. The Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary/Treasurer and Executive Counsellors will serve a two-year term. Elections of Officers shall be staggered in the following manner: Year One elections will be held for Chair, Vice-chair, and one (1) Executive Counsellor. Year Two (or alternating year) elections will be held for Secretary/Treasurer and two (2) Executive Counsellors.
B. Nominations:
The Executive Board will appoint a Nominations Committee consisting of three members in good standing of the Division. The Committee will receive names for nomination to each office to be filled the following year. From these names, the Nominations Committee will select two names to be included on the ballot for each office.
C. Qualifications:
Nominated persons and elected officers must be members in good standing of the Division.
D. Term of Office:
The term of office for all officers and Executive Counsellors will be two years. The term of office of each incoming officer will begin at the close of the Division’s Annual Membership Meeting following their election. Elected officers may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms in the same position. 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 position.
E. Procedure:
Elections will follow the procedures incorporated in the Policies and Procedures of this Division.
F. Vacancies:
Vacancies which occur during the term of office for the Vice-Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, or Executive Counsellor of the Division shall be filled until the next election by appointment of the Chair, with the approval of the Executive Board. Vacancies may be filled in either Year One or Year Two elections, and shall be filled for the remainder of the term of office.
VIII. Committees
The Division will maintain the following standing Committees:
A. Awards Committee.
B. Communications Committee.
C. Constitution and By-laws Committee
D. Membership Committee
E. Nominations Committee
F. Program Committee
G. Publication Committee
The Executive Board will create such other committees it deems appropriate to carry out the purposes and objectives of 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 BioPsychoSocial Criminology 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 BioPsychoSocial Criminology 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 by-laws
A. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Board in two consecutive Board meetings can amend the By-laws. That would require a vote of six (6) members as the Executive Board membership currently stands.
XII. 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
XIII. Awards
A. There will be (1) a Life-time Achievement award, (2) an Early Career award, (3) an Outstanding Contribution award, and (4) any other awards that the Executive Board may create.
B. The winners of these awards will be chosen by the DBC awards committee, which will consist of three members in good standing of the Division.
C. No member of the Executive Board or of the Awards Committee in any given year can receive an award in that same year.
D. No member of the Executive Board or of the Awards Committee can be a co-author of the work that wins the Outstanding Contribution Award.