What is Criminology and what are its study objects?

Criminology, as a discipline within the scientific field, originates only at the beginning of the 19th century. This shows that this is a new science, but one that is considered very useful and lays the foundation for a more formal understanding of antisocial behavior. Until recently, society was not aware of its great value.

It is characterized by being an interdisciplinary science, since it draws on other applied sciences. Its objects of study are delinquency, crime, the victim, criminals and social control.

Definition of Criminology

Is a discipline that is in full expansion, both in terms of its scientific dimension and the applied field. For this reason, we define Criminology as an interdisciplinary science, that is, it is the result of the confluence of knowledge and methodologies that come from other disciplines, such as Law, Sociology, Psychology, Psychiatry, Anthropology and Forensic Medicine. among other.

One of the first findings made by Criminology is that Crime is a real problem and varies in intensity, may depend on human societies. Another relevant conclusion is that Crime is a phenomenon built from the social reaction of rejection that causes among citizens.

Based on these two premises, Criminology is that science that studies criminal behavior, but also the social reaction to it. In a publication in the magazine Derecho y Cambio Social it is defined as “social science in charge of the study of criminal and antisocial behavior and the social reaction mechanisms used for its control.”

Study objects

Regarding the object or objects of study of Criminology, there are two clearly differentiated positions: The first is reductionist and maintains that its object of study is the same as that of Criminal Law: crime. Those who defend this position, in truth, affirm that Criminology lacks its own object of study. The second, and most followed today, maintains that its objects of study are five:

The delinquencyas a social phenomenon. crimeas individual action but also as group action. criminalsas actors who commit crimes. victimslike passive people who suffer the consequences of crimes. social controlas a reaction to crime.

This second position, like the previous one, has also received criticism. Those who criticize it maintain that it is not possible to build an authentic science with claims that are so diversified.

Criminology has various purposes, among which They highlight the prevention and intervention of the criminal phenomenon. In this way, the aim is to achieve control and reduction of criminal phenomena, as well as the reintegration of convicted men and women.

Criminology Classes

According to the book Basic Manual of Criminology by Carlos Elbert (2021), we can define four classes of this discipline:

Scientific: This class refers to a category of theories and methods that covers crime as an individual and social phenomenon, and encompasses the offender, the victim and society.Applied: It is made up of the contributions of scientific Criminology and is characterized by being practical and going beyond the limits of the criminal system.Academic: It is the Criminology of the classroom, of teaching. It is made up of the systematization and dissemination of knowledge, with the objective of instructing and training.Analytics: Its purpose is to analyze whether the other Criminology classes meet their objective. Its main task is supervision.

This discipline manifests itself in several ways, each one being essential for its understanding and development. Thanks to its various classes, the criminologist can develop new theories, train others, apply knowledge and supervise the work of each aspect.

The role of the criminologist

The function of this professional may vary depending on the class of Criminology to which he or she is enrolled. However, there are some general characteristics of his role. These are the following:

Observe: He describes events as they are or as he finds them.Ideologist: generates reasoning that supports or challenges the current situation and proposes ideas about what ideal circumstances should be likeTheoretical: explains the associations that exist within the field of criminology.Practical: helps circumstances evolve as they should.Methodological: embraces the standards and guidelines of scientific methodology to carry out its work.

Other responsibilities of the criminologist are the following:

Research and analysis: They analyze data to understand the nature, etiology, and negative effects of crime. This may include the study of crime patterns, offender profiles, and the social or economic circumstances that may contribute to crime.Advice on public policies: They advise governments and law enforcement on how policies and practices can affect crime in a society. This may include recommending policy changes.Education: Some of these professionals work in academic environments, where they teach future criminologists, carry out research that contributes to the theoretical and practical development of the discipline.Work with offenders and victims: They can work with criminals, in an effort to understand their motivations and help prevent future crimes. They also work with victims to provide support and advice, among other things.Crime prevention: Criminologists can also perform prevention functions and use their knowledge to carry out social programs that are capable of reducing crime rates in a community.

In summary, the criminologist plays a crucial role in society by helping to understand and address crime, employing investigative techniques. Likewise, they can identify patterns and causes of criminal behavior, develop profiles of criminals, and suggest prevention and rehabilitation strategies.

Criminology and Criminalistics are not synonyms

Although a large part of the community currently thinks that Criminalistics and Criminology are terms that refer to the same thing, this is not the case.

As a science that is still in the consolidation phase, Criminology has become known, to a large extent, through television programs and series that are far from reality. In them there is a tendency to misuse the term Criminology to refer to functions that are typical of Criminalistics, hence the confusion.

What differentiates Criminology from Criminalistics?

Criminalistics is the scientific discipline that determines the existence of a criminal act and is also responsible for collecting evidence and criminal clues.

Criminology, for its part, attempts to answer, through empirical research, questions about what social or individual factors influence the criminal behavior that people show, how control systems influence the sustainability of criminal behavior, etc

Besides, Criminalistics also helps in identification of the persons responsible for the criminal act and their degree of participation. Although, as we have seen, both disciplines are different, they complement each other.

Conclusion

Criminology, although a recent discipline, has proven to be fundamental to understanding and addressing the problem of crime in our society. Furthermore, being an interdisciplinary science, it can make great contributions based on other applied sciences.

Its different classes (scientific, applied, academic and analytical) allow a multifaceted approach to the criminal phenomenon, including the study of crime, criminals, victims and social control. Thanks to it, we can have a scientific approach to the crimes that are committed in our societies.

You might be interested…