Criminology is the 
study of crime from a social determine his own categories concerning
perspective: the causes of crime, the social
impact of crime, and the criminals involved in
the crime. Criminologists study criminology in
an attempt to better understand what motivates
the criminal to act in a criminal manner.
In the mid-18th century, criminology arose as
social philosophers gave thought to crime and
concepts of law. The term criminology was
coined in 1885 by Italian law professor
Raffaele Garofalo as Criminologia [ it].[citation
needed] Later, French anthropologist Paul
Topinard used the analogous French term
Criminologie [ fr]
The field of criminology draws on various
disciplines including psychology, philosophy,
social anthropology, biology, and law.  psychology professor, his primary field of study
Criminologists look at the causes,
consequences, and control of criminal acts,
and by considering both the individual, and
wider societal influences, seek to find ways to
prevent crime. Here, we look at some of the
most influential criminologists in the field’s
history, and how they have shaped this
interesting area into what it is today. 
Cesare Lombroso – The Father of
Criminology. psychology 6. November 2016 1
Harald Sack. On November 6, 1835, Italian
criminologist and physician Cesare Lombroso
was born. Lombroso was the founder of the
Italian School of Positivist Criminology, and is
often referred to as the father of criminology.
He rejected the established classical school
Jeremy Bentham
An English philosopher, Bentham’s work
ranged from economics and advocating animal
rights, to social reform and the founding of
welfarism. He had an influence in reforming
schools, prisons, courts, and England’s Poor
Laws, and attempted to codify common law
into statutes. In line with his opinions on
transparency, Bentham’s body was preserved
upon his death, and his auto-icon is publicly
displayed at University College London.
Cesare Beccaria
Considered the father of criminal law and
modern criminal justice, Beccaria studied
mathematics and economics before turning to
law. His most famous work, On Crimes and
Punishment, was the first published argument
against the death penalty. Beccaria advocated
that the certainty of punishment worked better
as a deterrent than the severity of the
punishment
Alexandre Lacassagne
Creating the Lacassagne School of
Criminology in Lyon, France, Alexandre
Lacassagne was a contemporary and rival of
Lombroso, who came to crime and psychology
through his work as a physician. It was his
belief that criminality was influenced more by
social factors, than hereditary ones; he would
criminality: thought; act; and instinctual. His
partial emphasis on phrenology meant his
contributions were overlooked for some time.
Enrico Ferri
This time, a student of Lombroso: Enrico Ferri
was a radical socialist, whose most famous
work, Criminal Sociology, influenced
Argentina’s 1921 penal code reforms. He
advocated making changes to economics and
the social factors that contribute to criminal
behaviour, stating that it is better to prevent
crime than punish it.
Hans Eysenck
As an opponent of Nazism, Eysenck fled from
Berlin to England as a young man. As a
considered the genetic factors that influence
personality. His investigation into psychoticism
gave rise to his interest in criminology. With the
help of his wife, Sybil, Eysenck produced a
book on crime and personality, and developed
theories on behavioural therapy and the
relation between personality and intelligence.
Robert D. Hare
Author of notable criminology books
Psychopathy: Theory and Research and
Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of
the Psychopaths Among Us, Hare is a
Canadian researcher in the field of criminal
psychology. His work looks at psychopathology
and psychophysiology, and, from his research
into the qualities of a psychopath, concluded
that it may not be possible to identify
murderers. Hare’s 20-item checklist is still
considered the most reliable metric for
measuring psychopathy.
Jane Addams
Only the second female recipient of the Nobel
Peace Prize, Adams eschewed her privileged
upbringing and traditional womanly duties to
study how society and poverty influence crime.
Known as the “mother of social work” Addams
was an activist and lecturer in these subjects,
encouraging their study and helping to
establish the US settlement house movement
in 1889, with the aim of to combatting crime
through economic security.
Edwin Sutherland
One of the most influential criminologists of the
20th Century, Edwin Sutherland authored
Principles of Criminology, a popular textbook. It
is from Sutherland we have the term white-
collar criminal, and he gave rise to the belief
that delinquency likely resulted from learned
behaviour. He observed that criminal behaviour
stems from criminal associations, and
suggested social disorganisation and conflict
are major contributors to crime. 
William Julius
A prominent socialist and Harvard alumnus,
Julius studied urban sociology, with particular
focus given to those factors – especially urban
poverty – that contribute to crime. Much of his
work revolves around racial factors, such as
how poverty among black communities
influences different crime rates, with
discrimination, education, housing, and
employment being taken into consideration.
His works The Truly Disadvantaged and The
Declining Significance of Race examine this at
greater length.