Meaning of Criminology - What it is, Definition and Concept

Criminology is a science that studies criminals and not crimes itself , whether from the anthropological, psychological or medical point of view, among others, being part of forensic disciplines both in resolution and in crime prevention.

Criminology seeks to know that it led to a certain person committing a criminal act , that is, the causes of these deviant behaviors all from the scientific point of view, also generating new knowledge that helps identify potential criminals.

It is important to note that criminology and criminalistics are not the same no matter how many people use them as synonyms, but they are complementary scientific disciplines when scientifically assembling a forensic puzzle in the event of a crime.

Criminology focuses on who committed a crime and the reasons that led him to commit crimes

The history of criminology was born with the Italian Cesare Lombroso, who in the late nineteenth century presents his theory of the criminal born, in which based on his research states that there are certain physical and psychological features present in people who are criminal or could be, also adding the influence of the parenting environment.

The modern criminology is more scientific and empirical dividing into several schools developed during the twentieth century and, in addition to studying the criminal themselves include the victim and as the society in which both grow and develop can influence a possible crime.

Unlike other forensic sciences, criminology wants to know that it leads a subject to commit the crime either for a judicial process, possibilities of rehabilitation or preventing other subjects with similar characteristics from reaching be protagonists of a criminal act.

Criminology also seeks to understand what kind of punishment is most effective for criminals not only on the side of justice and rehabilitation but also as a way to intimidate other potential future criminals.

The word criminology derives from the latin criminis and the Greek logos .The first means crime and the second speech, so which would result in the study of crime, specifically who commits it.

Criminology experts work collaboratively with experts in other forensic sciences , thus managing to assemble a puzzle with everything that surrounds a crime from before it is committed to the crime itself considering how it was done and its consequences, being an important weapon in criminal law.

Currently criminology is a discipline that is studied in the university , whether as a career in itself or post-degree.Those who exercise it can work in the judicial system, police or government or independent agencies dedicated to crime prevention, emphasizing the people and society that surrounds them.

Examples of use of criminology

• The criminology expert believes that the murderer acted in jealousy at the victim's relationship with his former partner


• Criminology studies the criminal to understand that it leads to crime


• Juan Perez's defense requested the testimony of an expert in criminology to prove that the accused is a victim of his environment