INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINOLOGY

CRIMINOLOGY DEFINED

Criminology is the scientific study of crime, criminals, and criminal behavior.

Criminologists scientifically study the following: the nature and extent of crime; patterns of
criminality; explanations and causes of crime and criminal behavior; and the control of crime
and criminal behavior (Glick, 1995). The term “criminology” (from the Latin-​crimen, ​accusation,
and Greek-​logia, study) was coined in 1885 by Italian law professor Raffaele Garofalo as
criminologia (Wikipedia).

Criminology is the body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon. It

includes within its scope the process of making laws, of breaking laws, and of reacting toward
the breaking of laws… The objective of criminology is the development of a body of general
and verified principles and of other types of knowledge regarding the process of law, crime, and
treatment or prevention (Sutherland & Cressey as cited by Adler, Mueller & Laufer, 1995).

In its broadest meaning, criminology is the body of knowledge regarding crimes,

criminals, and the effort of the society to prevent and repress them. This means that
criminology is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry – that is, it draws knowledge from other
disciplines such as biology, psychology, psychiatry, sociology, law, medicine, statistics,
economics, and political science in order to provide an integrated approach in the study of
crimes and criminal behaviors.

In a narrower sense, criminology is the scientific study of crimes and criminal behavior.
In a key sense, this is the central aspect of the definition of criminology. It specifies the very
essence of this course. This means that criminology is primarily concerned with knowing and
understanding the cause of crime and criminal behavior. It seeks to comprehend the reasons
behind the commission of crime. Furthermore, criminology is a science in itself. It applies
scientific methods of inquiry to the study of crimes and criminal behavior. Therefore,
criminology is not common sense nor guesswork, but rather, the scientific study of crime. The
knowledge obtained through criminological research is based on empirical evidence.

Other definitions of criminology include:

Criminology is the science which studies crime, forms of criminal behavior, the causes of
crime, the definition of criminality, and the societal reaction to criminal activity. Related areas
of inquiry may include juvenile delinquency, victimology (the study of crime victims), theories of
prevention, policing, and corrections (Sousa, 2008).

Criminology, on the other hand, is closer to psychology than it is criminal justice,

because it studies the minds and behaviors of criminals as opposed to their criminal actions
(Sousa, 2008).
PRINCIPAL DIVISIONS OF CRIMINOLOGY (TRADIO, 1999)
The study of criminology has three principal divisions:
1. Criminal Etiology – ​an attempt at scientific analysis of the causes of crimes.
2. Sociology of Law – ​an attempt at scientific analysis of the conditions under
which penal or criminal laws develop as a process of formal social control.
3. Penology –​ concerned with the rehabilitation and treatment of offenders.

Three Principal Divisions of Criminology (Edwin Sutherland)

1. Sociology of law
2. Scientific analysis of the causes of crime
3. Crime control

Three Components of Criminology (Clarence Ray Jeffery)

1. Direction of the offender
2. Treatment of the offender
3. Explaining crime and criminal behavior

Purpose of Criminology
The purpose of criminology is to offer well-researched and objective answers to four
basic questions:
1. Why do crime rates vary?
2. Why do individuals differ as to criminality?
3. Why is there variation in reactions to crime?
4. What are the possible means of controlling criminality?

Goals of Studying Criminology

The study of criminology seeks to achieve the following goals:
1. To describe criminal behavior
2. To understand criminal behavior
3. To predict criminal behavior
4. To control criminal behavior

Various Studies and Sciences Related to Criminology

Criminology covers the following studies and sciences:
1. Law
2. Sociology
3. Psychology
4. Medicine
5. Chemistry
6. Public Administration
7. Education
8. Theology
9. Economics
Agencies and Sectors Associated to Criminology
Criminology consists of the activities of the following offices and sectors, public and
private:
1. Legislative bodies and lawmakers
2. Law enforcement agencies
3. Court and prosecution
4. Correctional institutions
5. Educational institutions/schools
6. Public charitable and social agencies
7. Public welfare agencies
8. Non-government organizations
9. The family and the home
10. The church
11. Private charitable and welfare institutions
12. Civic clubs and organizations
13. Print media, radio and television

Nature of Criminology
Generally, criminology cannot be considered a science because it has not yet acquired
universal validity and acceptance. It is not stable, and it varies from one time and place to
another. However, considering that science is the systematic and objective study of social
phenomenon and other bodies of knowledge, criminology is a science in itself when under the
following nature.

1. It is an applied science.
The findings or knowledge obtained in the study of crimes and criminal behaviors is
used to resolve the crime problem and treatment of criminals. In other words,
criminologists investigate crimes in order to generate practical solutions to the
problem.
Applied science ​focuses on the practical application of the principles discovered in
basic science. ​Natural science, ​on the other hand, is concerned with the physical
nature or environment. In the study of the causes of crimes, natural sciences such as
anthropology, medicine, physics, mathematics, ballistics, polygraphy, legal medicine,
and question document examination may be utilized in crime detection.

2. It is a social science.
In as much as crime is a social creation that exists in a society
3.