ETYMOLOGY OF CRIMINOLOGY

Criminology (from Latin crīmen, “accusation”; and Greek -λογία, -logia) is the scientific study of the nature, extent, management, causes, control, consequences, and prevention of criminal behavior, both on the individual and social levels. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in the behavioral sciences, drawing especially upon the research of sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social anthropologists, as well as scholars of law.

Criminology is the study of the law enforcement and criminal justice system. A person looking for a career in criminal justice will very likely first seek to earn a criminology degree. While criminal justice and criminology are certainly related fields, they are not identical. What is criminology?

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Criminology definition and history

Criminology is the study of crime and criminal behavior, informed by principles of sociology and other non-legal fields, including psychology, economics, statistics, and anthropology.

Criminologists examine a variety of related areas, including:

  • Characteristics of people who commit crimes
  • Reasons why people commit crimes
  • Effects of crime on individuals and communities
  • Methods for preventing crime

Reference by Maryville

What Is Criminology?

Criminology is a branch of sociology, which traditionally examines human behavior, interaction, and organization. However, it also ties in research and concepts from other areas of study, such as philosophy, anthropology, biology, and psychology.

 

Criminologists examine a broad range of topics related to crime. They are dedicated to studying not only the causes of crime but the social roots and impact as well.

 

The end goal of criminology is to determine the root causes of criminal behavior and to develop effective and humane means for preventing it. These goals have produced several schools of thought within the discipline, each of which looks at different factors involved in deviant behavior and comes to different conclusions about how best to approach the issues.

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