Conference

Join us in 2026 for the WSC’s
Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado

 General Information:

Dates: Thursday, February 5, 2026 through Saturday, February 7, 2026
Hotel: Grand Hyatt Denver
1759 Welton St.
Denver, CO 80202The conference rate is $255 per night and you may book your room using the online reservation site.This rate is valid until January 24, 2026 (contingent on room availability).
Health Protocols: Based on current guidelines, vaccinations will not be required to attend the conference; however, if regional/local guidelines change before then, we will be required to follow those.
Register: You may register and pay for the 2026 conference here. Please note that all presenters must register no later than December 5, 2025. The deadline for early registration is January 9, 2026. Late registration begins on January 10, 2026.

In keeping with our tradition of supporting local organizations, this year, $5 of every registration fee will be donated to the Denver Justice Project.

Present: The deadline to submit abstracts was September 19th, 2025. The preliminary program is now available. Please note that all times listed in the preliminary program are subject to change. Papers may be moved to different sessions (even on a different day and time) for thematic flow or to resolve any scheduling conflicts. We anticipate that the final program will be posed in mid-December.

For those who submit abstracts, please be sure not to make travel plans based on the times during which you are preliminarily scheduled to present because all assignments are subject to change. All presenters should plan to arrive by Thursday, February 5th and plan to remain at the conference until the late afternoon on Saturday, February 7th.

Posters should be between 3-feet by 4-feet (36″ x 48″) and 4-feet by 5-feet (48″ x 60″).

Please be advised that submission of an abstract indicates the submitter’s availability to present the paper at the conference.  Absent medical or religious necessity, requests for particular time slots on particular days cannot be honored. Please direct all inquiries about the conference and the program to the program chairs at ConferenceChair@westerncriminology.org.

Conference Participants, please note the following:

1. Panel chairs are responsible for bringing laptops for other panelists to use during their presentations. People who use Apple computers (Macs) should bring dongles that allow them to connect to projectors via an HDMI cable.

2. Complimentary basic internet will typically be available to presenters during conference breakout sessions, but given bandwidth constraints, attendees should not prepare presentations using Prezi or similar internet-based presentation software.  Rather, presenters are encouraged to store all of the files they may need on a laptop or portable hard drive.

3. If you have any questions concerning payments, please email Secretary@westerncriminology.org. All other questions concerning the conference should be directed to the conference program chairs at ConferenceChair@westerncriminology.org.

If you plan on submitting an abstract and need an early decision in order to apply for a visa or entry permit, please email the conference program chairs. You do not have to wait until the abstract portal opens to do this.

Conference Fees:

Conference registration entitles one to attend all conference sessions, receive one printed copy of the program (if requested at the time of registration), and participate in various hosted food events (typically an opening event with hors d’oeuvres and an open bar, a light breakfast on Friday morning, a plated lunch at our Award luncheon Friday afternoon, light snacks at Friday evening’s poster session, and a closing brunch late on Saturday morning). Because we order all of this food based on conference registration fees we receive, such payments are nonrefundable. If you are concerned that you might not be able to attend, we recommend that you purchase travel insurance.

The cost of participating in the annual WSC conference varies depending on membership status:

  • Regular Members — Faculty and justice professionals who are members of the WSC pay $260 to participate in the annual conference (a $250 base-rate, plus a $10 Pay Pal processing fee).

     

  • Student Members — Students who wish to participate in the annual WSC conference pay $190 (a $185 base-rate, plus a $5 Pay Pal processing fee). Please note that this fee includes a one-year student membership in the WSC. Thus, students attending the conference should not pay the $40 student membership fee.

     

  • Non-Members — People who are not members of the WSC but who wish to participate in the society’s annual conference pay $370 (a $360 base-rate, plus a $10 Pay Pal processing fee).

     

  • Late Fees — The prices listed above apply to advance conference registrations. An additional $30 will be added to the cost for anyone registering within 30 days of the start if the conference (including those who register on-site, which is strongly discouraged since we cannot guarantee late registrants food, printed programs, and other amenities). Thus, late registration for regular members costs $290; late registration for students costs $220; and late registration for non-members costs $400.

Since catering costs account for more than 90% of the the annual conference fees, and last-minute changes to catering counts can dramatically alter the society’s costs to host meals, on-site registration is strongly discouraged. We therefore require all conference presenters to register roughly one month in advance of the conference to help keep costs to a minimum.

Future Conferences

  • 2027 Conference: February 4th to 6th at the Westin San Diego Bayview (CA)
  • 2028 Conference: February 3rd to 5th at the Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire (Alberta, CA)

Our Sister Organization,
the American Society of Criminology

The WSC was originally established a regional subdivision of the American Society of Criminology (ASC).  Although we are now fully independent, the ASC remains our close working partner.  The ASC is an international organization whose members pursue scholarly, scientific, and professional knowledge concerning the measurement, etiology, consequences, prevention, control, and treatment of crime and delinquency.  If you are not already a member, we encourage you to join!

Consent to be Photographed

By signing up to attend and participate in the WSC’s annual conference, you consent to having your photo taken by WSC personnel and guests.  Such images may be posted on this website as well as on our social media.  However, no one may make audio or video recordings during panel sessions without the explicit written consent of the presenters.