Conference

The conference rate is $249 and a booking link will be available in summer 2026.

Posters should be between 3-feet by 4-feet (36″ x 48″) and 4-feet by 5-feet (48″ x 60″). They will be affixed to the walls of the space using Command Strips that will be provided by the WSC.

Please direct all inquiries about the conference and the program to the program chairs at ConferenceChair@westerncriminology.org. If you are unable to attend your sessions as scheduled, please let the program chairs, and the other presenters on your panel know.

Conference Participants, please note the following:

1. Panel Chairs:

• You 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.
• Sessions are 75 minutes long. Please allow at least 10 minutes for questions and comments from the audience and divide the remaining time evenly between the presenters.
• We recommend reaching out to the presenters on your panel 2 weeks before the conference to let them know how much time their presentations should be. You can also ask them to email presentations in advance to facilitate preparation.
• Convene the panel promptly at the announced time.
• Introduce each presenter with a title and institutional affiliation.
• Politely inform the presenters when their time limit is approaching. [Many chairs hold up a note when there are 5 minutes and 1 minute remaining.]
• Adjourn the session promptly at the announced time.

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.

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, coffee and light snacks on Friday morning, a plated lunch at our Award luncheon on Friday, 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.