CRIMINOLOGY DEFINED: 1. ETYMOLOGICAL DEFINITION Criminology is a scientific approach to studying criminal behavior. 2.

. CLASSIC DEFINITION According to Edwin Sutherland and Donald Cressey: Criminology is the body of knowledge regarding crimes as a social phenomenon. It includes within its scope the processes of making laws, of breaking laws and 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 this process of law, crime and treatment. The latter definition includes the most important areas of interest to criminologists: (1) development of criminal law and its use to define crime, (2) the cause of law violation and (3) the methods used to control criminal behavior. Meaning of Verified Principles The term implies that the scientific method should be used in studying criminology. Criminologists use objective research methods to pose research questions (hypothesis), gather data, create theories, and test their validity. They also use every method of established social science inquiry, including analysis of existing records, experimental designs, surveys, historical analysis, and content analysis.