LESSON 2

CRIMINOLOGY: IT’S ORIGIN, NATURE AND SCOPE OF STUDY

INTRODUCTION

This lesson will introduce the students to the basic concepts of the study of criminology, its nature
and the most important areas of interest to criminologists, how criminological enterprise aids the
criminologist in understanding the causes of crimes and criminal behavior. This lesson provides a
background on the importance of research in the field of criminology in the quest for answers to crime and
criminal behaviors.

OBJECTIVES

The students after completing the study of the lesson should be able to:

1. Know and understand the concept and nature of criminology

2. Identify and explain the three (3) broad divisions of the study of criminology, and
3. Determine the scope of the study and discuss the various fields of study related to criminology.

READINGS

ORIGIN OF THE WORD “CRIMINOLOGY”

It came from a Latin word “crimen” which literally means accusation and “logia” means to study.

THE FOUNDATION OF CRIMINOLOGY

● The term criminology was derived from the Italian term “criminologia” coined by Raffaele Garafalo,
an Italian law professor and criminologist, in 1885.
● In 1887, Paul Topinard, a French anthropologist, introduced the term “criminologie”.
● In 1924, An American criminologist in the person of Edwin Sutherland introduced his own definition
of the term “criminology”. According to him, CRIMINOLOGY is the entire 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 towards the breaking of the laws.

CRIMINOLOGY refers to the scientific study of crimes, criminals, and victims, it also deals with the
prevention, and solution of crimes (R.A. No. 11131)

In pursuit of understanding this matter, the following questions are the focus of the study of criminology:

1. Why do crime rates vary from time to time and from culture to culture?
2. Why are some individuals more prone to committing crimes than others?
3. Why do crime rates vary across different ages, genders, and racial/ethnic groups?
4. Why are some harmful acts criminalized and not others?
5. What can we do to prevent crimes?
THREE PRINCIPAL DIVISIONS OF CRIMINOLOGY

1. Criminal Etiology – is the study of the cause or origin of the crime. It studies the primary reason for
crime causation. It attempts at analysis of the causes of crime.
2. Sociology of Law – attempts at a scientific analysis of the conditions under which penal/criminal
laws develop as a process of formal social control.
3. Penology – branch of criminology which focus of the prevention of crime and delinquency as a form
of social reaction to criminality. It is concerned with the control and prevention of crime and the
treatment of offenders.

NATURE OF CRIMINOLOGY (SAND)

1. Criminology is a Social Science – Since crime is a social phenomenon, it is basic to note that the
study of crimes requires that study of human society thus, criminology is a social science. (Ex: the
family, church and religion, civic clubs and organizations)
2. Criminology is an Applied Science – Study of crimes does not end with pure intellectual discovery;
it requires the application of the various fields of study in order to help in policy making towards
the creation of more responsive programs for crime prevention as well as in the solution of crimes
in our society. (Ex: Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, Law, Public, Administration and Education)
3. Criminology is Nationalistic in nature – Crimes are defined by laws and in other countries by
common laws. In the Philippines, crimes are defined according to our law such as the criminal law.
Laws in different countries may varies depending on their culture, belief, religion and others, as
such crimes in different countries may also varies.
4. Criminology is Dynamic – As societal condition changes so with crimes. Modern technology has
brought a lot of changes in the way people live. This innovation has also brought changes in our
laws thus, the concept of what crimes are also changed. (Ex: New knowledge is discovered;
Technology is continuously upgraded, social conditions change from time to time)

MAJOR PERSPECTIVES OF CRIMINOLOGY

In its quest to explain crime and criminal behaviors, criminologists have developed the major
perspectives of criminology. These perspectives focus on individual (biological, psychological and choice
theories), social (structural and process theories), political and economic (conflict theories) and multiple
(developmental theory) factors (Siegel, 1998, p. 12)
SCOPE OF THE STUDY OF CRIMINOLOGY

1. The study of the origin and development of criminal law.

2. Study of the causes of crimes and development of criminals.
3. Study of the different factors that enhances the development of criminal behavior, as such.

OTHER FIELDS OF STUDIES RELATED TO CRIMINOLOGY:

a) Criminal Demography – the study of the relationship between criminality and population.
b) Criminal Ecology – the study of criminality in relation to the spatial distribution in a community.
c) Criminal Physical Anthropology – the study of criminality in relation to physical constitution of
men.
d) Criminal Psychology – the study of human behavior in relation to criminality.
e) Criminal Psychiatry – the study of human mind in relation to criminality.
f) Victimology – the study of the role of the victim in the commission of a crime.

REFERENCES:

Introduction to Criminology- Lesson 1. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 12, 2022, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odaXipUgmAM&t=293s
‌Lagumen, Dennis and Lagumen, Henedina (2022). Introduction to Criminology (Second Edition).
Chapterhouse Publishing Incorporated. ISBN: 978-971-9647-53-9