submit urlsubmit rss feedadd directory

article

Criminology is the scientific study of crime as an individual and social phenomenon. Criminological research areas in particular comprise the incidence and forms of crime as well as its causes and consequences. They also include social and governmental regulations and reactions to crime. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in the behavioural sciences, drawing especially on the research of sociologists and psychologists, as well as on writings in law.

In 1885, Italian law professor Raffaele Garofalo coined the term "criminology" (in Italian, criminologia). The French anthropologist Paul Topinard used it for the first time in French (criminologie) in 1887. "Criminology" aptly described and encompassed the scientific concern with the phenomenon of crime. (Criminology and the Criminal Justice System, Adler, 2004)

Schools of thought


Over time, several schools of thought have developed and are listed in the infobox. The main thematic distinction has been between the: Classical School associated with Cesare Beccaria, Jeremy Bentham, among others, who have argued that:
  • People have free will to choose how to act.
  • Deterrence is based upon the utilitarian ontological notion of the human being a 'hedonist' who seeks pleasure and avoids pain, and a 'rational calculator' weighing up the costs and benefits of the consequences of each action. Thus, it ignores the possibility of irrationality and unconscious drives as motivational factors.
  • Punishment (of sufficient severity) can deter people from crime, as the costs (penalties) outweigh benefits.
and the Positivist School which presumes that criminal behaviour is caused by biological, psychological, or social determining factors that predispose some people towards crime. Cesare Lombroso, an Italian prison doctor working in the late 19th century and sometimes regarded as the "father" of criminology, was one of the largest contributors to biological positivism, which alleged that physiological traits such as the measurements of one's cheek bones or hairline, or a cleft palate, considered to be throwbacks to Neanderthal man, were indicative of "atavistic" criminal tendencies. This approach, influenced by the earlier theory of phrenology and by Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, has been superseded, but more modern research examines genetic characteristics and the chemistry of nutrition to determine whether there is an effect on violent behaviour (see Natural Justice). Hans Eysenck (1964, 1977), a British psychologist, claimed that psychological factors such as Extraversion and Neuroticism made a person more likely to commit criminal acts. He also includes a Psychoticism dimension that includes traits similar to the psychopathic profile, developed by Cleckley and later Hare. He also based his model on early parental socialization of the child; his approach bridges the gap between biological explanations and environmental or social learning based approaches, (see e.g. social psychologists B. F. Skinner (1938), Albert Bandura (1973), and the topic of "nature vs. nurture".) Sociological positivism (the father of which is considered to be Emile Durkheim) postulates that societal factors such as poverty, membership of subcultures, or low levels of education can predispose people to crime.

More on [ Criminology ]


directory of related categories

 

 
 
directory of related topics

Forensic Science :: Science in Society
Psychology
Forensics and Law
Sociology :: Social Sciences
Crime :: Society
Crime and Justice :: Issues
Alpha Phi Sigma :: Honor Societies

 
Criminology RSS feed
Criminology - Twitter Search

@patrick_fahey - yes! I haven't seen that in so long. And to answer your earlier questions: Absolutely nothing, UWO, and criminology haha.
deedeemixxx (Dee Tommy) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:07:43 -0000
@patrick_fahey - yes! I haven't seen that in so long. And to answer your earlier questions: Absolutely nothing, UWO, and criminology haha.
Criminology is full of theories and I'm not so sure I care for them.
clarissaBrock (Clarissa Brockway) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:31:19 -0000
Criminology is full of theories and I'm not so sure I care for them.
We will be touring Fernandez Colleges Baliuag with a criminology student named Jessica. Haha so far so good
LoveAnnie21 (Arianne Madronio) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:47:11 -0000
We will be touring Fernandez Colleges Baliuag with a criminology student named Jessica. Haha so far so good
I need a man who won't look at me like I'm crazy when I start discussing criminology :(
cephalopod_gal (Elisa Leal) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:46:14 -0000
I need a man who won't look at me like I'm crazy when I start discussing criminology :(
@GUBLERARMY hha I agree. I want to be a journalist in criminology or work in a funeral home lol :)
deadlyfun (Eva TALLEDO) Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:23:57 -0000
@GUBLERARMY hha I agree. I want to be a journalist in criminology or work in a funeral home lol :)
@editorbethany such an awesome place! went with son on HS criminology feildtrip day n night too! it was spookie!
Marissa_Alwin (Marissa Alwin) Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:49:17 -0000
@editorbethany such an awesome place! went with son on HS criminology feildtrip day n night too! it was spookie!

 
Subscribe to Criminology RSS feed

directory of related sites

Criminology - Discusses the sociology of deviance, criminal and non-criminal deviance, and related theories. Includes links to similar content.

Crime and Social Control as Fields of Qualitative Research in the Social Sciences - Discusses the importance of qualitative methods for criminological studies.
Meta Description: [ Forum: Qualitative Social Research is a multilingual online journal. Its main aim is to promote discussion and cooperation between qualitative researchers from different countries and disciplines. ]

Crime Library: Predicting the Dangerousness of A Criminal - Analyzing the ways and habits of criminals to see if they will strike again.
Meta Description: [ Predicting the Dangerousness of Criminals, the various methods used to predict the liklihood of reoffence in violent criminals and their accuracy, from the Crime Library ]

Crime Mapping - Article about how crime mapping and analysis has been helping to reduce crime. Includes links to related resources.
Meta Description: [ Crime Mapping ]

Crime Prevention Analysis Lab (CPAL) - California State University, San Bernardino research center in environmental criminology. Describes methodologies, data analysis and crime mapping projects, research areas, and affiliations; also provides related links and event calendar.

500 Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) - A practical resource for security and crime prevention practitioners.
Meta Description: [ A private Institute dedicated to professional development in public safety, security and crime prevention ]

Crimetheory.com - An educational resource for the learning, researching, and teaching of theoretical criminology.
Meta Description: [ An Educational Resource for the Learning, Researching, and Teaching of Theoretical Criminology. Information and Activities for Students; Timeline; Glossary of Criminological and Sociological Terms; Gallery and Biographies of Prominent Criminologists; Bibliographies and Suggested Further Reading.... ]

Criminal Profiling - Criminologist Wayne Petherick reveals the origins of criminal profiling and its use in crime solving.
Meta Description: [ The Story of Criminal Profiling ]

Criminal Profiling - Research, articles, news and information on profiling, victimology, forensics, and behavioral science.

Criminal Profiling Research - Features information about scientific research and resources dealing with profiling.
Meta Description: [ Swiss site on Criminal Profiling-Offender Profiling, Criminology, Law, Forensic Psychology/Schweizer Site ueber Criminal Profiling, Täterprofil, Täterprofile, Taeterprofilerstellung, Kriminologie, Recht, forensische Psychologie ]

Environmental Criminology Research - Focuses on geographic profiling, which uses sophisticated computer software to determine the most likely area of offender residence in cases of serial murder, rape and arson.

Faust Global Criminology - Personal page of a criminologist. Includes analysis of several issues and links to related websites.
Meta Description: [ SERVICES: Litigation/Court Searches, Document Retrieval, Due Diligence, Corporate Intelligence, Corporate Investigations ]

International Crime Victims Survey - Standardized surveys regarding household experience with crime, policing, and crime prevention. Methodology and key data is available.
Meta Description: [ ICVS: the International Crime Victim Survey ]

404 John Walker Crime Trends Analysis - Stats and research findings on trends in crime and justice in Australia. Methods of forecasting trends in crime and prison populations. Estimates of the extent of global crime and money laundering.
Meta Description: [ iiNet specialises in super fast ADSL2+ broadband. Get the fastest speeds around, up to 24,000kbps - ordinary broadband just isn't the same. We also have the greatest ADSL2+ coverage in Australia. ]

Korean Institute of Criminology - Assists in policy formulation by analyzing the current state of crime phenomena, conducts scientific studies, and contributes to public education through publication of the results of research projects.

Mannhunters Forensic Artists - Providing forensic art services including composite drawing, facial reconstruction, post-mortem illustration and age progression.
Meta Description: [ main ]

Matthew G. Yeager, Criminologist - Specializes in alternatives to imprisonment, parole planning, alternative sentencing, Client Specific Planning (CSP), treatment, and community corrections for the prison-bound offender.

Scandinavian Research Council for Criminology - Furthers criminological research within member countries, and advises the Scandinavian governments and the Nordic Council on related issues. Includes information about the council, publications and links.
Meta Description: [ Council for Criminology, Crime, Prevention, Victimology, Policy, Law, Justice, System, Procedure, Criminal, Prison, Probation, Penology, Law enforcement, Correctional ]

United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Center (UNICRI) - Organization created to advance policy and practice in the prevention and control of juvenile delinquency and adult criminality. Includes a collection of global criminology resources.
Meta Description: [ UNICRI - United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute - We contribute to the formulation and implementation of improved policies in the field of crime prevention and justice administration ]

404 Violence, Crime, Justice - Small collection of links to guidelines, courses, and rules.

Criminology related videos
Raekwon - Criminology
Next Video
Criminology related videos

 

HOMEADVERTISINGABOUT US

articlesartsbusinesscomputersgameshealthhospitalshomekids & teensnewsmobilephysiciansrecreationreferenceregionalscienceshoppingsocietysportsworld


Submit a Site About Become an Editor