2.3 What is Criminology?

Criminology is the scientific study of crime causation. It started out as a branch of Sociology, but later morphed into its own field of study. Criminology has also been referred to as the scientific study of breaking the law, making the law, and society’s reaction to those who break the law (Sutherland, 1934). And those professionals who practice in the field of Criminology are called Criminologists. A Criminologist is an extremely nuanced profession. It isn’t just about researching crime causation (it is, but it isn’t). Criminologists have to be experienced in a multitude of subject matters: Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Political Science, Biological Science, Religion, Urban Studies, Social Work, Law, etc. This is because much of what goes into peeling back the multiple layers of criminal behavior has to do with a lot of everything that happens to people that makes them who they are and how they interact with not just their own inner struggles of right and wrong, but also with those external forces that contribute to their micro(individual)-level and macro(group)-level interactions. So, when a Criminologist researches a specific trend in crime, they’re not just looking for one specific answer as to how or why, they’re looking for as many answers as possible. Criminologists need to understand the entire story behind the act of deviant behavior before they can make a recommendation on a policy shift, or a creation of a law that could potentially affect a diverse population equally. It isn’t an easy thing to do, but that’s why they do the research.

The most common way a Criminologist goes about proving or disproving a theory is through research. Research is the same with Criminology as it would be for any other science. Even though Criminology is a Social Science, compared to Biology or Physics, which are Biological or STEM Sciences, the process for research is still the same: the Scientific Method. A Criminological Theory produces a possible explanation for a cause of criminal behavior, which in turn leads a Criminologist to develop an observable experimentation to either confirm or disprove that theory. A hypothesis is then formulated; data is collected through observation, analyzed, and interpreted; and a formal conclusion is written. Based on the analysis of the observable data, the hypothesis is either confirmed or disproven, and the theory can then either likewise said to be valid or invalid based on reliable observable data.

It all sounds really boring and monotonous, but when taken into context that many laws are written based on the results of this process, and many law enforcement and Criminal Justice System policies are also developed from the data produced by what Criminologists are able to generate just from a theoretical perspective, it can be exciting sometimes.