Introduction to Criminology - Lesson 1

Foundational vocabulary and concepts from Introduction to Criminology, covering definitions, sub-disciplines, and the scientific nature of the field.

Criminology

The scientific study of crime, criminals, and criminal behavior; it is the body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon including the process of making laws and breaking laws.

Criminal Etiology

A principal division of criminology that involves an attempt at the scientific analysis of the causes of crimes.

Sociology of Law

An attempt at scientific analysis of the conditions under which penal or criminal laws develop as a process of formal social control.

Penology

The division of criminology concerned with the rehabilitation and treatment of offenders.

Criminologia

The term coined in 1885 by Italian Law professor Raffaele Garofalo to describe the study of crime.

Instrumentation

The use of chemistry, medicine, physics, mathematics, ballistics, polygraph, and Questioned Document (QD) examination in crime detection.

Criminal Demography

The study of the relationship between criminality and population.

Criminal Epidemiology

The study of the relationship between environment and criminality.

Criminal Ecology

The study of the spatial distribution of a community in relation to crime.

Criminal Physical Anthropology

The study of criminality in relation to the physical constitution of man.

Criminal Psychology

The study of human behavior in relation to crime.

Victimology

The study of the role of victims in relation to crime.

Criminal Psychiatry

The study of the human mind and mental/behavioral disorders in relation to criminality.

Criminal Sociology

A major area of study including the fundamentals of criminology, juvenile delinquency, human behavior, crisis management, ethics, community relations, and the criminal justice system.

Criminalistics

An area of criminology covering scientific disciplines like dactyloscopy, polygraphy, and forensic medicine used in the administration of justice.

Dactyloscopy

The science of fingerprinting.

Polygraphy

The science of lie detection examination.

Ballistics

The study of firearms and bullets.

Forensic Medicine

The application of medical science to elucidate legal problems.

Forensic Chemistry

The application of chemical principles in the solution of problems arising in connection with the administration of justice.

Criminologist (Legal Definition)

A person who is a graduate of the Degree of Criminology, has passed the board examination, and is registered under Section 22, R.A 6506.

R.A 6506

An act creating the Board of Examiners for Criminologists in the Philippines.

Applied Science

A nature of criminology indicating its use of anthropology, psychology, sociology, and natural sciences to resolve crime problems.

Dynamic

A nature of criminology asserting its progress remains concordant with the advancement of other sciences applied to it.

Nationalistic

A nature of criminology stating that the study of crime must be in relation to the existing criminal law within a specific country.