It is a subject area in which theories and methods from sociology, psychology, law, and other disciplines are studied to better understand the nature and causes of crime, as well as the responses to it. That is, it provides a wide range of principles and methods. 

Criminology studies the factors that contribute to criminal behaviour, such as social, economic, and psychological factors, as well as the age, gender, race, and mental health status of criminals. It also includes the study of the various components of the criminal justice system, such as law enforcement, courts, and corrections, as well as the policies and practices that govern these systems.

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Meaning and Definition of Criminology –

Criminology is made up of two words crime and science, which means – “the science or science under which crime is studied”. The study of crime is its focal point.

In a broad sense, criminology is the science in which scientific study of crime explanation, punishment system and re-establishment of criminals takes place. Thus Criminology mainly studies three facts –

(1) Explanation of crime,

(2) Punishment for criminals,

(3) Re-establishment and reformation of criminals.

In this way, along with the explanation of crime in criminology, study of criminology and diagnosis of crime is also included, which presents scientific analysis in relation to gradual development of criminal law, causes of crime and control of crime.

Criminology is a difficult subject, regarding the definition of which the views of the scholars have been different. Some jurists give more importance to its legal aspect and some to its social aspect. However, the main subject of criminology is crime and criminals, because crimes are committed by human beings who are an integral part of society. Therefore crime cannot be separated from society.

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The definition given by various scholars is as follows –

According to Dr. Kenny – “Criminology is that branch of crime science which deals with the causes of crime, their analysis and crime prevention.”

According to Sellin – “Criminology mainly studies ethical norms. Ethical norm is a rule that prevents a person of a particular status or a particular group from behaving in a particular way under certain circumstances.” .

According to Taft and England – “Criminology in the broad sense is that study (though not yet a fully developed science) under whose subject matter explanation of crime and its prevention along with punishment or treatment of criminals and juvenile delinquents can be included”.

In a narrower sense – “Criminology is the study which attempts to explain crime and to find out how a person becomes a criminal”.

According to Sethna – “Criminology is the study of the meaning of crime and its constituent factors and an analysis of the causes and remedies of the thing going on in the name of crime.” (M.J. Sethna, Society and the Criminal)

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According to Caldwell – “Criminology is the complete study of the criminal, the crime and the efforts made by the society to reduce or prevent crime.” (Robert G. Caldwell, Criminology)

According to ‘Webster’s Dictionary’ – “Criminology is the scientific study of crime as a social fact or the study of criminals and their mental qualities, their habits and their discipline etc.”

According to Eliot – “Criminology may be defined as the scientific study of crime and its treatment.

Although this definition takes crime and their treatment in its field, but still it is incomplete in giving a correct understanding of the wide scope and nature of criminology. Because this definition lacks the inclusion of punishment for criminals.

According to Mannehium – this is the study of crime, in which the types of crime, their extent and the causal factors of their formation are also included. He has also included Criminology in Criminology, in which the problems of crime prevention are studied by similar systems dealing with punishment and crime and non-punitive measures.

In this definition, criminology is considered as the branch of knowledge studying crime as a social phenomenon. Considering crime as a social phenomenon is an essential condition of this definition.

It is clear from the above definition that it is impossible to give a definite unanimous definition of Criminology. Therefore, Criminology can be understood in such a way that – “It is that part of knowledge, which provides detailed subject matter for study in relation to crime, criminal, criminal causation and social control of crime.”

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Importance of Criminology –

Criminology has its own importance in being studied as a subject. Man’s desire for more money, physical desires, hatred towards each other, jealousy, suspicion, mistrust etc. are the main reasons for crimes and under criminology, the causes of crime and their prevention measures are considered.

For this reason, the importance of crimino-logy has increased in the present time, which we can understand from the following points –

(1) – Crimes against human body and property, crimes of social and economic nature, crimes related to pollution of environment and water, crimes against state, crimes related to labor and factory problems etc. The amount spent in each class can be ascertained only by joint survey which makes the study of crime problem necessary.

(2) – This is the basic concept of criminology that no person is a criminal by birth, but a person becomes a criminal due to circumstances and social environment. Under this, by improving the attitude of the criminal, efforts are made to make him a normal law-abiding citizen in the society, and for this personal punishment is adopted as a means.

(3) – One of the importance of criminology is that it ensures the strength of social security, which helps in making the anti-social elements and those who violate the law virtuous. The fear of punishment acts as a deterrent to keep the criminal away from crime.

(4) – Social service can also be done by its study. For example, for professionals who do social service, knowledge of crimino-logy is essential. Similarly, it is necessary for magistrates, police, advocates, prison officers, probation and parole officers to have adequate knowledge of all aspects related to crime and criminal behaviour so that they can deal well with criminals.

(5) – The purpose of crimino-logy is to study the behaviour of the criminal and its causes so that it can be improved and those things or circumstances which give criminal nature to the person’s behaviour can be eliminated.

(6) – Legislators, MPs should also have the background knowledge of crimino-logy, so that they will create such laws which will be in favor of social order, peace and public welfare, similarly police officers will also have knowledge of criminology, then they can act as responsible officers. As such, not only catching and punishing criminals, but also in a reasonable way will be able to play an important role in preventing future crime.

(7) – By studying this, the magistrate or judge will also take care of their reformation in the larger interest of the society, while giving punishment to the criminals. Apart from this, the prison officer will also be able to treat the criminal leniently during his imprisonment.

(8) – Its study gives information about various social relations of the society.

(9) – Crimino-logy proves helpful in bringing stability in the society, explaining social problems and also in knowing about the crimes committed on the pretext of religious knowledge.

(10) – Many new crimes have emerged in the present time, such as smuggling, black marketing, robbing banks, theft of automatic vehicles, terrorism, looting goods or money from passengers by forming gangs, running away with people’s goods by sniffing sedation, Cyber ​​crime etc. That is, just as crime prevention organizations are using new techniques and means to prevent crimes, similarly criminals are also engaged in adopting the latest methods of crimes.

Therefore, if crimino-logy is set as a subject of curriculum by educational institutions, it will provide good knowledge about crime to the children, so that they can definitely work in future in whatever field of life, as healthy citizens of the society. And will be able to do good service and keep away from crime.

(11) – Crimino-logy is the scientific study of crime and criminal behavior. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws on theories and methods from sociology, psychology, law, and other disciplines to understand the causes and consequences of criminal activity.

(12) – Its study is also important because it helps us to understand the nature of crime and criminal behavior, which in turn can inform the development of effective crime prevention and intervention strategies, as well as policies and laws.

(13) – In addition it can help us to understand the impact of crime on individuals, communities and society and to identify and address the social and structural facts that contribute to crime.

Thus, crimino-logy is a very useful science and it helps in providing information about the causes of crime, as well as understanding crime prevention, reformation of criminals and subsequent protection programs given to them, to make the society crime free. The contribution of criminology towards making is unique.

Conclusion –

Overall, crimino-logy is a broad field that outlines theories and methods as well as answers to better understand the nature and causes of crime. Through a scientific examination of criminal behavior, the criminal justice system, and crime prevention strategies, Crimino-logy aims to improve our understanding of crime and criminal behavior and to develop effective strategies for preventing crime and promoting public safety.

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Reference :- Crimin-ology And Penology (Dr. Y.S. Sharma)