Editorial Introduction 

Welcome to the first issue of the fourth volume of the Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology. This is my first issue as editor, and I am pleased to continue along the path established by Will Oliver. It has been both exciting and challenging to take the reins and transition into this role. Thankfully Will already had a great crop of articles prepared for this issue. In a way, you could argue this issue is a result of both of our efforts. To that end, this issue highlights the journal’s continued emphasis on high-quality qualitative scholarship. The first article by Jaclyn Schildkraut provides an excellent social construction analysis of mass shootings between 2000 and 2012. Joseph Johnson and Natalie Schell-Busey examine the role of battle rap videos posted on YouTube in real world street level violence. Nancy Marion and Ronald Gelleny analyze a series of interviews with Canadian and US officials to understand the transformation of border policies in both nations. These articles provide unique insights and demonstrate the range of qualitative methods being employed across the discipline. The book reviews included in the issue also highlight quality scholarship produced in various arenas.

On a personal note, some may wonder why a person in the Midwest is taking over as editor of the journal for the Southwestern Criminal Justice Association. It is all because I am a fan and practitioner of qualitative research methods. I have been a qualitative scholar since graduate school, including writing a qualitative dissertation on computer hacking. My interest in qualitative work continued throughout my career, leading to many studies and publications using unique data collected from on-line sources as a means to understand behavior. I even teach qualitative research methods for our Ph.D. program at MSU, so I am committed to developing these skills in future generations of scholars.

Since having started as editor, I am pleased by the continuing stream of quality submissions. It is always a pleasure to see a new draft awaiting review and consideration. I am also happy to report that we will pursue our first special issue, tentatively titled “Technocrime Research at the Margins.” The call for papers is posted on the journal website (www.jqcjc.org), and Kevin Steinmetz will serve as the special editor for this issue focusing on cybercrime and technology. Manuscript submissions will be due no later than May 15, 2017, if you are interested.

If you would like to develop a special issue proposal please contact me  at your convenience by email at [email protected]. I am happy to consider all avenues that may be of interest. It is a critical way to expand the journal’s readership and number of issues published per year, while at the same time increasing attention to all manner of qualitative research methods.

Finally, I must thank the authors for their contributions, as well as our excellent book reviews. Also, major thanks to Kevin Steinmetz for his tenure as book review editor. This is his last issue, and we have identified a new book review editor, Ashley Farmer, who will begin this month. Finally, I must thank Kate Fedewa for proofreading all submissions and Harriet McHale for her assistance in formatting and assembling this issue. This product will not be possible without her kind help.

I look forward to many more issues as editor while with the Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology.