Top of Page
Most broadly, Criminology is the scientific study of crime, inclusive of lawmaking, criminal behavior, and institutional responses to such behavior. Criminologists are those who “do” criminology; that is, those who study law, crime, and justice. Criminologists are interested in why and how certain forms of behavior come to be defined as crimes, why and how individuals and groups come to engage in those behaviors, how communities and societies react to those infringements, and how the formal system of justice (police, courts, and corrections) treats those who are suspected and/or convicted of illicit activity. As an expansive field of study, criminology draws from a variety of disciplines, including sociology, psychology, philosophy, political science, economics, anthropology, history, law, and many of the “natural” sciences such as biology. In doing so, criminology has incorporated theoretical models and methodological tools from these and other disciplines within and outside of the social and behavioral sciences in the interest of better understanding the social phenomenon of crime, as well as recommending remedies where desirable.