More than eight years have passed since the first issue of the European Journal of Criminology and, at the beginning of my term as editor, it seems a good moment to reflect on its founding. I would like to explain some features of the journal and review several guiding principles that have been established. In that first issue, Professor David J. Smith provided the founding vision. The rationale for starting a new criminology journal was to support the growth of criminology in Europe by providing a forum for research on crime and criminal justice institutions (Smith, 2004: 5). The European Journal of Criminology represents an important means for Europe to build its own criminological tradition. Crime and criminal justice figure in political developments across Europe, and criminological scholarship should contribute to wider discussion of these activities. Criminology does not reflect a consensus based on initial assumptions, a research methodology or an explanatory framework. Rather, it attracts scholars with a shared interest in crime and criminal justice, and so we should expect contributions not only from criminologists but from those working in other disciplines as well. We would anticipate contributions to reflect a range of research strategies and theoretical perspectives (Smith, 2004: 11). Early on, a decision had to be made about research from outside Europe. The USA presents a dilemma owing to its capacity to generate a large number of submissions. As David explained, a clear ambition for European criminology is to develop a knowledge base separate from US criminology. He established the principle that the journal would publish work from the USA provided it was of sufficient interest to European criminologists. The journal would not avoid US research and theory but, rather, would encourage a cross-Atlantic exchange of ideas and information. US criminology journals tend to focus on US criminal justice practices. A journal devoted to European criminology should not reduce its focus to Europe but welcome comparative and international research (Smith, 2004: 8–11). David established additional guiding principles that are important to restate. The journal should pursue the ‘wider Europe’, meaning ‘within and beyond the European Union’ (Smith, 2004: 7). Some countries have identifiable ties to Europe, although they are not routinely categorized as European countries. Israel, Russia and Turkey come to mind. At 440905 EUC9310.1177/1477370812440905KnepperEuropean Journal of Criminology 2012