Introduction to

CRIMIN
LOGY
An
Instructional Material for
Criminology Students

Isabela State University

College of Criminal Justice Education

(First Semester, S.Y. 2022-2023)

Chapter One
The Nature of
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 Criminology
“The major cause for the collapse of society at any level may be traced not only to the
criminal activities of the bad people alone, but to the sin of silence of the good people as well.”
---Cirilo M. Tradio

Introduction
Crime as a threat to society is
evidently one of the causes of crippling
and stealing the income from government.
Its consequential effects endangered the
At the end of the lesson, students internal security of the country and
should be able to: discouraged local and foreign investors
from setting up business and other
 define criminology and able to create their own
definition. industrial undertakings. A variety of
 recall its etymology and those who coined it. measures have been taken to counter the
 discover and explain why it is called a multi- growing threat of crime. For example,
disciplinary field of study. more laws are passed and enacted, law
 defend and explain whether criminology is a science or enforcement agents are recruited and
not; trained, prosecution and judicial
 explain why the field of criminology is important in procedures are improved, and reforming
terms of its nature, scope, purpose and objective. institutions are established for young and
adult offenders. However, all these
measures, tend to be futile and costly
without first discovering and
understanding the causes of the crime.
The field of criminology is born to
address this issue of crime and criminal
behaviour, and attempts to define, explain
and predict it. Criminology focuses on
forms of criminal behaviour, the causes of
crime, the definition of crime, and the
reaction of society to criminal activity; related areas of investigation may include juvenile
delinquency and victimology (study of victim).
If you tell your friends you're taking a criminology course, many will assume you’re a budding
Sherlock Holmes, on the way to becoming a master detective trained in investigating crime scenes.
That describes the field of criminalistics (the scientific assessment of physical evidence), which is
sometimes confused with criminology in the media and public mind. Criminology is more concerned
with analyzing crime and criminality, conducting accurate scientific studies and developing sound
theoretical explanations of crime and criminal behaviour. It is hoped that such knowledge of
criminology and scientific research can inform and direct public policies to solve some of the
problems of crime.
This chapter begins with the definition of criminology, and discusses the emergence of the field,
its etymology and origin, and its nature as an interdisciplinary field of study. Next, this chapter will
reply to the debate about whether or not criminology is considered a science. Then, it will further

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justify the fields importance by examining its nature, scope, purpose and goals. The final part of this
chapter will focus on the practice of the criminology profession in the Philippines and various work
opportunities awaiting graduates of criminology.

Criminology defined

When introducing students to criminology, the definition of criminology as a body of

knowledge is crucial. Below are some of the notable definitions designed for better understanding of
what criminology is all about.
1. Tradio definition - Criminology is a body of knowledge
regarding delinquency and crime as social phenomena. A phenomenon is something
which can be observed
(observable); any fact,
2. Bartol definition - Criminology is a multidisciplinary circumstances, or experiences
study of crimes. This means that many disciplines are which can be explained
involved in the collection of knowledge about criminal scientifically.
action, including psychological, sociology, anthropology,
biology, neurology, political science and economics.

3. Taft definition - Criminology may be divided into two branches:

a. general
b. 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.

4. Sutherland and Cressey definition - Criminology is a body of knowledge regarding crime

and criminals as a social phenomenon. It includes in its scope the process of:

a. Making of Laws – This pertains to the examination of the nature and structure of laws in
the society which could be analyzed scientifically and exhaustively to learn crime
causation and eventually help fight them. Law is passed because of the consensus of the
will of the public. In the Philippines, we have bicameral system of legislation. It is called
bicameral because it is composed of two houses; the senate and the house of
representative. We have three major branches in the government: The Executive vested
on the office of the president, the Judiciary, vested on the Supreme Court and the
Legislative, cited and explained above. We are being represented by the legislature
branch in making laws.

The making of law is supported by the Latin maxim “Nullum Crimen Sine Lege, Nulla
Poena Sine Lege” which means "no crime or punishment without a law." There can be
no crime committed, and no punishment meted out, without a violation of penal law as it
existed at the time. It is otherwise known as the principle of legality.

b. Breaking of Laws – It is concentrated in the scientific analysis of the causes of crimes.

All violations of laws are violations of the will of the majority in the society. Violation of
the provisions of the criminal laws created by the public thru representation is called
crime.

NOTA BENE:

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 Crime is an act or omission in violation of criminal law.
 Act is outward movement tending to produce effect.
 Omission is meant inaction, the failure to perform a positive duty which one is bound to
do.

c. Reaction towards the Breaking of Laws – This involves the study of the reaction of
people and government towards the breaking of laws. Society either reacts positively or
negatively when someone commits crime. However, seldom has the society reacted
positively: It reacts Negatively by imposing punishment on the law breaker.

The objective of criminology is the development of a body of general and verified principles
and of other types of knowledge regarding this process of law, crime, and treatment.
(a) The development of criminal law and its use to define crime
(b) The cause of law violation
(c) The methods used to control criminal behavior

5. Sutherland’s modified definition - Criminology is the body of knowledge regarding crime

and criminality as a social, psychological, and biological phenomena. 

6. Other definitions:
- Criminology is the study of crime from a social perspective, including examining who
commits crimes, why they commit them, their impact, and how to prevent them.
- Criminology is the study of all subject matters necessary in understanding and preventing
crime and the punishment and treatment of criminals.
- Criminology is the scientific approach to the study of the nature, extent, cause, and
control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society.
- Criminology is the scientific study of causes of crime in relation to man and society
who set and defined rules and regulations for himself and others to govern.
- The interdisciplinary science that gathers and analyzes data on crime and criminal
behavior.
- Criminology uses the scientific method to pose research questions (hypotheses), gather
data, create theories, and test their validity.

Etymology and Origin of the

Word Criminology

The word Criminology came from Latin

word CRĪMEN which means
"ACCUSATION"; and Greek word LOGIA
meaning “TO STUDY”). Literally means
study of accusation. The suffix OLOGY refers
to a science or branch of learning and the term
implies a scientific study of crime or criminals.
In 1885, Italian law professor RAFFAELE
GARAFALO coined the term
CRIMINOLOGIA. In 1887, French
Anthropologist PAUL TOPINARD used the
analogous French term CRIMINOLOGIE.

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Criminology as an Interdisciplinary
Field of Study

Criminology is an inherently interdisciplinary field or a multidisciplinary science that studies

crimes and criminals as a social phenomenon. Criminology is technically a hybrid, it is a mixture of
things, an amalgamation of other fields. It integrates in its study the field of Sociology, Psychology,
Psychiatry, Anthropology, Legal theory, Natural Science, Political Science, Criminal Justice,
Forensic Medicine, Economics and other areas of study. But over the years, sociology, psychology
and psychiatry have dominated the study of crime.

1. Sociology (Sociological Criminology) – Sociology is the mother discipline of criminology.

The study of crime focused on the group of people and society as a whole. It is the
examination of the relationship of democratic and group variables to crime. Variable such as
socio economic status, interpersonal relationship, age, race, gender and cultural groups of
people are probed in relation to the environmental factors that are most conducive to criminal
action, such as time, place, and circumstances surrounding the crime.

2. Psychology (Psychological Criminology) - The science of behavior and mental process of the
criminal behavior-how it is acquired, evoked, maintained and modified. Both the
environmental and personality influences are considered, along with the mental processes that
mediate the behavior.

3. Psychiatry (Psychiatry Criminology) - The science that deals with the study of crime through
Forensic psychiatry, the study of criminal behavior in terms of motives and drives that
strongly relies on the individual. (Psychoanalytic Theory-Sigmund Freud-Traditional view).
It also explains that criminal’s reaction out of uncontrollable animalistic, unconscious or
biological urges (modern view).

Criminology as a Science

As a science, there is at present a continuing argument whether criminology is a science or not.

Accordingly, the study of criminology itself is not a science, it is the overall goal that is scientific.
They gather this data in order to find the causes and treatment of crime. Scientific observation is
accurate, i.e., facts are exactly described as they are without any exaggeration or underestimation.
However, we know that not all the information that is used to study crime is accurate. (eg, unreported
crime, if there is a murder and a theft only the murder is reported). With these concepts of science
and scientific method, criminology may be described as a science because it uses the method that is
defined as science. However, if 'science' is referred to in terms of the 'content', i.e., "the body of
scientific findings", then criminology is not 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:
a. Stability i.e. it must be firmly established with unlikelihood of ad hoc and unpredictable
changes
b. Homogeneity, i.e. the quality of being alike all of the same type.

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 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.

Edwin Sutherland and Donald Cressey, both

American Criminologists, argued that criminology at
present is not a science, but it has hope of becoming a
science. This is because it has not yet acquired
universal validity and acceptance.
However, George L. Wilker argued that
criminology cannot possibly become a science. He
argued that anti-social behavior in society cannot be
scientifically interpreted. Accordingly, general
propositions of universal validity are the essence of
science; such propositions can be made only regarding stable and homogenous unit but varies from
one time to another; therefore universal proposition cannot be made regarding crime and scientific
studies of criminal behaviour are impossible.
Max Weber, a German criminologist 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 punitive 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 punitive solutions).
Herman Manheim, argues that criminology is not a science as it has no techniques and methods
of its own, and that it borrows heavily from others e.g. medicine, psychology etc. He argues that so
far criminology has developed no scientific methodology of its own; its techniques of research are on
the whole identical with those used in other social sciences.
Ellenburger, in response to Manheim’s arguments; His response is that: - Even amongst the
natural sciences there are some like botany and zoology which deal with the study of facts which are
not strictly unique and individual and which do not deal with general phenomena. 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. They have a meaning which
derives from their practical application. The justification for medicine lies in the therapeutics and
public health and that of criminology in penal reform, penology and prevention of crime.
Cirilo M. Tradio, a Filipino author, also humbly submits that criminology is a science. The
argument is that, crime as universally defined, crime is the commission and omission by a person
having capacity of, of any act, which is either prohibited or compelled by law, and the commission or
omission of which is punishable by a proceeding brought in the name of the government (or people
for that matter) whose law has been violated.

Nature of Criminology

Criminology is a science in itself when applied to law enforcement and prevention of crimes
under the following nature:

1. It is a Social Science- In as much as crime in social creation that it exists in a society being a
social phenomenon, its study must be considered a part of social science.

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 Social Science is the study of people in society and how they relate to one another and to the
group to which they belong. It is a discipline that studies a specific area of human society,
e.g. sociology, psychology, economics, political science, history, or anthropology.

2. It is an Applied Science- In the study of the causes of crimes, anthropology, zoology,

psychology, sociology and other natural science may be applied. While in crime detection,
chemistry, medicine, physics, mathematics, ballistics, polygraph, legal medicine, questioned
documents examination may be utilized. This is called instrumentation.

Applied Criminology – It is the art of creating typologies classifications, predictions, and

especially profiles of criminal offenders, their personalities and behavior patterns.

3. It is Nationalistic- The study of crimes must be in relation with the existing criminal law
within the territory or country. Finally, the question as to whether an act is a crime is
dependent on the criminal law of a state it follows therefore, that the causes of crime must be
determined from its social needs and standards.

4. It is Dynamic - criminology changes as social condition changes. It is concomitant with the

advancement of other science that has been applied to it.

Scope of Criminology

The following are the scope of criminology:

1. Study of the causes of crimes and development.
2. Study of the origin and development of criminal laws.
3. Study of the different factors that enhances as:

a. Criminal Demography - study of the relationship between criminality and population.

b. Criminal sociology – study the effects of social conditions on crime and criminals
including the machinery of justice and the evolution of criminal law and punishment.

c. Criminal Psychology - study of human behavior in relation to criminality.

d. Criminal Psychiatry – study of human minds in relation to criminality.

e. Criminal Ecology – the study of criminality in relation to spatial distribution in the

community.

f. Criminal Epidemiology - study criminality as an epidemic disease.

g. Criminal Physical Anthropology – Study of criminality in relation to physical

constitution of men.

h. Victimology – study of the role of the victim in the commission of crime.

4. Study of the various process and measures adopted by society in violation of criminal
laws:
a. The detection and investigation of crimes.

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 b. The arrest and apprehension of criminals.
c. The prosecution and conviction of the criminal in judicial proceeding.
d. The enforcement of laws, decrees and regulations.
e. The administration of the police and other law enforcement agencies.
f. Maintenance of recreational facilities and other auxiliary prevent the development of
crimes and criminal behavior.

Purpose of Studying Criminology

The following are the purposes of studying criminology:
1. To prevent the crime problem.
2. To understand crimes and criminals.
3. To prepare for a career in law enforcement and scientific crime detection.
4. To develop an understanding of the constitutional guarantees and due process of law in the
administration of justice.
5. To foster a higher concept of citizenry and leadership together with an understanding of one
moral and legal responsibilities to his fellowmen, his community and the nation.

Objectives of Criminology

The following are the objectives of criminology:

1. Develop a body of general and verified principles and of other types of knowledge regarding
the process of law, crime and its control and prevention, and the treatment of youthful
offender. Criminology is concerned with the construction of deviance, and the reaction to
deviance.
2. Contribute to the development of other science and through them, they will contribute a
national strategy in the prevention and control of crime, as well as the treatment of youthful
offenders.
3. Concerned with the immediate application of knowledge to programs of social control of
crime.

NOTA BENE: If there are no means of social control, there will be chaos and disorganization.

Criminology and Criminal Justice

Criminal justice and criminology are certainly related fields, but they are not identical. In 1934,
American criminologist Edwin Sutherland defined criminology as the body of knowledge regarding
crime as a social phenomenon. It includes within its scope the process of making laws, of breaking
laws, and of reacting toward the breaking of laws. The objective of criminology is the development
of a body of general and verified principles and of other types of knowledge regarding this process of
law, crime, and treatment or prevention.

While Criminal Justice often refers to the various criminal justice agencies and institutions (e.g.,
police, courts, and corrections) that are interrelated and work together toward common goals.
Interestingly, many scholars who referred to criminal justice as a system did so only as a way to
collectively refer to those agencies and organizations rather than to imply that they were interrelated.
Some individuals argue that the term criminal justice system is an oxymoron. For instance, Joanne
Belknap noted that she preferred to use the terms crime processing, criminal processing, and criminal

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legal system, given that “the processing of victims and offenders [is] anything but ‘just.’”

Criminology and Criminal Justice is distinguish as follows:

Criminology Criminal Justice

Criminology explains etiology, origin, extent, Criminal Justice describes, analyzes, &
& nature of crime in society. explains behavior & operation of agencies
of justice & effective methods of crime
control, sentencing, treatment, etc.
Criminology focuses on lawbreaking (nature, Criminal Justice focuses systems that
extent & causes) address crime and criminal behavior
(policing, courts, and corrections).
Criminologist identify the nature, extent and Criminal Justice scholar seek more
causes of crime effective methods of crime control and
offender rehabilitation.
Develops theories- Criminology involves Puts theories into practice-It requires
more research more real-world application.

Additional Reading Materials

Read the following:
1. https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/
90400_Section_One_Introduction_and_Overview_of_Crime_and_Criminology.pdf
2. file:///D:/Intro%20to%20criminology/87029_Chapter_1_Introduction_to_Criminology.pdf
3. https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2018/11/08/republic-act-no-11131/
4. https://laws.chanrobles.com/republicacts/66_republicacts.php?id=6510

Learning Discussion

1. Define criminology.
2. Is criminology a science? Explain your answer.
3. Explain criminology as an interdisciplinary field of study.
4. Why criminology is important –to YOU, to our SOCIETY and as a FIELD OF STUDY?