Criminology

 According to Edwin H. Sutherland criminology

is the entire body of knowledge regarding
crime as a social phenomenon. It includes
within its scope the process of making of laws,
of breaking laws, and the society’s reaction
towards the breaking of laws.
 Under R.A. 11131, it is defined as the scientific
study of crimes, criminals and victims. It also
deals with the prevention and solutions of
crimes.
 Criminology
 (Tradio) The scientific study of the causes of
crime in relation to man and society who set
and define rules and regulations for himself
and others to govern.
 Is a body of knowledge regarding crimes,
criminals and the efforts of society to prevent
and repress them. (Broad Definition)
 Origin of the word Criminology
 The term criminology came from the Latin
word “Crimen” meaning crime and Greek
word “Logos” which means to study.
 In 1885 , Rafael Garofallo, an Italian law
professor coined the term criminologia.
 In 1889, Paul Topinard, French Anthropologist,
used the term criminology in French
criminologie for the first time.
 Principal division of criminology
 Etiology of crimes - the scientific analysis of the
causes of crimes and criminal behavior.
 Sociology of law – refers to the investigation of
nature of criminal law and its administration.
 Penology – the study of the control of crimes
and the rehabilitation of offender.
 The objective of criminology
 To develop a body of general and verified
principles and of other types of knowledge
regarding the process of law, crime, and
treatment or prevention.
 Criminology is more concerned about
analyzing the phenomena of crime and
criminality, performing scientifically accurate
studies, and developing sound theoretical
explanations of crime and criminal behavior.
 Is Criminology a Science?
 According to George Wilker, Criminology
cannot become a science because it has not yet
acquired universal validity.
 Edwin H. Sutherland, the dean of modern
criminology, hoped that it will become a
science in the future since the causes of crimes
are almost the same which may be biological,
environmental or combination of two.
 Nature of Criminology
 It is a social science because it studies crime as a social
phenomenon. Crime is a social problem which has a great
impact to society.
 It is applied science because criminology as a body of
knowledge has already established universally accepted
principles and concepts and these are used by other field of
study. (INSTRUMENTATION)
 It is nationalistic because the study of criminology takes into
consideration the history, the culture and the social norms
and the laws of the country. Each country has its own set of
laws and crimes are defined by the laws of the country.
 It is dynamic because the concepts of criminology and their
applications adapt to the changing time.
 Scope in the Study of Criminology
 Study of the origin and development of criminal law
 Study of the causes of crimes and development of criminals
 Study of the other sciences that examine criminal behavior using
scientific methods such as:
 criminal demography – the study of the relationship between criminality and
population.
 criminal epidiomology – the study of the relationship between environment
and criminality.
 criminal ecology – the study of criminality in relation to the spatial
distribution in a community.
 criminal physical anthropology – the study of criminality in relation to
physical constitution of men.
 criminal psychology – the study of human behavior in relation to criminality.
 criminal psychiatry – the study of human mind in relation to criminality.
 victimology – the study of the role of the victim in the commission of a crime.
 Common concepts of crime used by
Criminologist according to Siegel
 Consensus View of Crime
 Consensus view- the belief that the majority of citizens in a
society share common values and agree on what behaviors
should be defined as criminal
 Criminal law- the written code that defines crimes and their
punishments.
 Conflict View of Crime - The belief that criminal
behavior is defined by those in power in such a way as to
protect and advance their own self interest.
 Interactionist View of Crime - The belief that those with
social power are able to impose their values on society as
a whole and these values then define criminal behavior.