Definition: A program that focuses on the systematic study of crime as a sociopathological phenomenon, the behavior of criminals, and the social institutions evolved to respond to crime. Includes instruction in the theory of crime, psychological and social bases of criminal behavior, social value systems and the theory of punishment, criminal law and criminal justice systems, penology, rehabilitation and recidivism, studies of specific types of crime, social attitudes and policy, and applications to specific issues in law enforcement administration and policy.
Criminology is an academic discipline devoted to the scientific study of crime and criminal behavior. Although contemporary criminology is multidisciplinary, encompassing a variety of fields such as anthropology, biology, economics, law, political science, psychiatry, and psychology, the sociological approach to criminology is especially dominant. While the central focus of criminology is to examine the causes and consequences of crime and criminal behavior, contemporary criminology also contains a number of other subareas of inquiry. The sociology of law is a subarea concerned with the role of social forces in the creation, modification, and application of laws. The specialty area of criminal statistics and crime measurement focuses on developing reliable measures of criminal activity. Victimology is a specialty area concerned with the role of the victim in the criminal process, and especially how society responds to the needs of victims. Finally, criminologists are also...
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Authors and Affiliations
Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, Canisius College OM-016 C, 2001 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14208, USA
Prof. Patricia E. Erickson J.D., Ph.D.
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- Prof. Patricia E. Erickson J.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Patricia E. Erickson J.D., Ph.D. .
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Department of Systematic Theology, Faculty of Theology, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark
Anne L. C. Runehov
Pontificia Universita Antonianum, Roma, Italia
Lluis Oviedo
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Erickson, P.E. [2013]. Criminology. In: Runehov, A.L.C., Oviedo, L. [eds] Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. //doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8265-8_1298