What does criminology mean?
Criminology is the scientific study of crime, criminal behaviour, and society's response to them. As an academic discipline, it investigates why people commit offences, how patterns of crime vary across time and place, and how laws, policing, courts, and punishment can prevent or reduce harm. It draws on several neighbouring fields — notably sociology, which shaped its early development, as well as psychology, economics, and legal studies. The word entered English in the late nineteenth century, coined from the Latin root crimen, meaning accusation or charge, combined with the Greek-derived suffix -logy, meaning study. Criminology is most often encountered in formal contexts: university degree programmes, government policy debates, and research literature. A person who works in the field is called a criminologist, and its adjectival form is criminological. Because it concerns both human behaviour and public institutions, criminology sits at an illuminating intersection of science, law, and social policy, making it a valuable word for anyone discussing how societies understand and confront crime.
nounThe scientific study of crime, criminal behaviour, and the criminal justice system, drawing on sociology, psychology, and law to understand the causes and prevention of crime.
- The scientific study of the nature, causes, prevention, and control of crime and criminal behaviour, typically as an academic discipline combining elements of sociology, psychology, and law.
"After earning her degree in criminology, she joined a research unit studying patterns of juvenile offending."
"She completed a master's degree in criminology before joining the Home Office's research department."
"Modern criminology increasingly draws on data analysis to identify the social factors behind repeat offending."
Rarely used; criminology is normally uncountable as a field of study. A plural may occasionally appear when referring to distinct schools or traditions within the discipline, such as different national or theoretical approaches.
"The conference brought together criminologies from across Europe, each shaped by its own legal traditions."
The word 'criminology' was only coined in the 1880s — making it one of the youngest sciences to take on humanity's oldest problem: why do people break the law?
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of criminology
Criminology derives from the Latin crimen (meaning charge, accusation, or offence) combined with the Greek-derived suffix -logy (from logos, meaning study or discourse), giving literally 'the study of crime'. The term was coined in the late nineteenth century, around the 1880s–1890s, as scholars began applying systematic scientific methods to questions of criminal behaviour, building on the work of figures such as Cesare Lombroso. It shares its Latin root with words such as criminal, incriminate, and recrimination.
Related word forms
How criminology is actually used
Criminology is a formal, academic term with no negative connotation; it refers to the scholarly discipline rather than to crime itself. It is used almost exclusively in educational, professional, and policy contexts. The related adjective is 'criminological' and the practitioner or scholar is a 'criminologist'.
Easily confused with criminology
Penology is specifically the study of prisons, punishment, and the management of offenders, whereas criminology is the broader study of crime and criminal behaviour as a whole.
Criminal justice is the system of law enforcement, courts, and corrections that responds to crime, while criminology is the academic discipline that studies crime and that system scientifically.