Although founded in Paris on March 24, 1924, the International Association of Penal Law ("Association") had its origins in the Union Internationale de Droit Penale ("Union"), founded in 1889. The Union's objective was to integrate all aspects of the criminal sciences. The Association has continued this objective and has achieved special status in the areas of criminal policy and codification of criminal law, comparative criminal justice, and international criminal law. This article describes the Association's structure and membership; its publications; international congresses; and cooperation with other international scientific organizations, United Nations bodies, and the Council of Europe. The International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences was founded in 1972 by the Association, along with the City, Province, and Chamber of Commerce of Siracusa, Italy. The Institute is a public foundation established by a decree of the president of Italy in accordance with Italian public law as a nonprofit educational foundation. It is the oldest scholarly association in the field of criminal justice. This article describes the Institute's program, publications, financial supervision, and philosophy. 81 footnotes.