ISRCL.com – The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law

The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law is pleased to announce that the ISRCL 2027 International Conference will take place in Melbourne, Australia from June 21 – 24, 2027. Stay tuned for more details, including registration and the conference agenda.

Ronald L. Gainer, one of the founding members of the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law, a partner at Gainer and Rient, and former Deputy Associate Attorney General, died at home with his wife by his side, in Arlington, Virginia on January 30, 2026. He was 91.

Ron’s life work concentrated on attempting to improve the rationale, policies, and operations of the criminal justice systems of the United States and other nations. He expended over 15 years in an effort to develop, and to achieve congressional passage of, a federal criminal code designed to replace all of the existing federal criminal statutes. He was a principal instigator in the conceptualization and creation of several institutions designed to improve the operation of criminal justice systems. At the Department of Justice this included the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Office of Professional Responsibility, and the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program. He served on the United States Sentencing Commission, and was the US Delegate to the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Vienna), the International Center for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Policy (Vancouver), and advised the World Bank’s Department of Institutional Integrity.

The Society wishes to recognize Mr. Gainer’s extraordinary life and contribution to public service.

The International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law was pleased to announce that the ISRCL 2026 International Conference took place in Montréal, Quebec, from July 13–16, 2026. The conference brought together legal professionals, academics, policymakers, and practitioners from around the world to engage in discussions on criminal law reform. Thank you to everyone who joined us, and we look forward to welcoming you at future ISRCL conferences.