Since 1954, the goals of the International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology have been:

• To promote the development of psychological practice in criminal justice and law enforcement settings.
• To contribute toward appropriate teaching of the psychology of crime, delinquency and criminal justice.
• To support the development and application of effective treatment approaches for individuals in the care of the criminal justice system.
• To stimulate research into the nature of criminal behavior, to exchange such scientific information, and to publish the reports of scholarly studies of criminal behavior.
• To concern ourselves with relevant public, professional and institutional issues which affect or are affected by the practice of psychology in the criminal justice system.