Criminology, the captivating study of crime, criminal behavior, and the intricate workings of the justice system, is often questioned for its scientific legitimacy. In this space, we embark on an exploration of the fundamental query: Is Criminology a Science? Journey with us as we unravel the layers of this fascinating discipline, examining its methodologies, interdisciplinary nature, and the valuable contributions it makes to our understanding of crime and society. Let’s delve into the scientific intricacies of criminology and discover the answers together.
Definitions of Criminology
Criminology is a combination of two Latin words:
Crimen – crime
Logus or logy – science
It is the science or study of crime. It is concerned with the conduct of individuals which is
prohibited by society and law. It is a socio-legal study which seeks to discover the causes of
criminality and suggests appropriate remedies.
Definitions by Various Scholars:
Edwin Sutherland
Criminology is the body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon. It includes
within its scope the processes of making laws, breaking laws and reacting towards the breaking
of law. (From the above definition it is apparent that criminology is a combination of how the
society defines and deals with crime within a social and legal context).
- Donald Taft
Criminology may be divided into two branches:
1. general
2. specific
Criminology in a general sense is the study of crime and criminals. In a specific sense it seeks to
study criminal behavior its goal being to reform the criminal behavior or conduct of the
individual which society condemns. - Webster
Criminology is the scientific study of crime as a social phenomenon or of criminals and their
behaviors and family conditions.
IS CRIMINOLOGY A SCIENCE?
Is Criminology a Science?
Proponents of the view that criminology is not a science base their argument on the standards of
quality and validity of what can be classified as science. To this end they argue that the validity
of a science is based on two concepts:
I. Stability i.e. it must be firmly established with unlikelihood of ad hoc and
unpredictable changes
II. Homogeneity, i.e. the quality of being alike all of the same type.
Since crime is not stable, nor is it homogenous, i.e. not all actions amounting to a crime in one
jurisdiction will amount to crime in all jurisdictions, it is therefore concluded by the said
proponents that criminology cannot be a science.
Against:
George Wilber
He argued that anti-social behavior in society cannot be scientifically interpreted. According to
him, general propositions of universal validity are the essence of a science. Such propositions
can only be made regarding stable and homogenous units. Crime is not a stable homogenous
unit but varies from place to place and from time to time. What may be regarded as a crime in
one jurisdiction may not be a crime in another e.g. abortion, euthanasia, etc.
Max Weber
A German criminologist.
He argued that criminology as a branch of sociology merely researches into components of
human behavior without providing for solutions unlike normal sciences. Thus by offering an
analysis of criminal acts without puritive answers it merely exposes a situation without a solution
and thus cannot be called a science. (What about penology which offers solutions, and
arguments for rehabilitation and reintegration into society, decriminalization, which are
advanced by criminologists, it is therefore not entirely true that criminology does not offer
solutions in any case do all sciences offer puritive solutions).
- Sutherland view: “at present, not a science but has hope of become a science”
Criminology is based on other social sciences just like medicine is based on anatomy, physiology, physics, chemistry etc. Neither medicine nor criminology is purely theoretical.
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