Table of Contents
Definition of Criminology
(noun) The study of the causes and control of criminal behavior in society.
Example of Criminology
- Researching what groups are most likely to commit hate crimes.
Criminology Pronunciation
Syllabification: crim·i·nol·o·gy
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /krim-uh-nAHl-uh-jee/
- British English – /krim-i-nOl-uh-jee/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˌkrɪməˈnɑlədʒi/
- British English – /ˌkrɪmᵻˈnɒlədʒi/
Usage Notes
- Plural: criminologies
- Criminology is viewed as a sub-field of sociology by some and its own discipline by others.
- A type of social science.
- Type: penology
- Also called criminal justice.
- A specialist in criminology is a (noun) criminologist and studies (adjective) criminologic or (adjective) criminological information (adverb) criminologically.
Related Video
Additional Information
- Crime and Law Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “criminology” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Foucault, Michel, and Alan Sheridan. 1995. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Vintage Books.
- Hagan, John, A. R. Gillis, and David Brownfield. 1996. Criminological Controversies: A Methodological Primer. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
- Henshel, Richard L., and Robert A. Silverman. 1975. Perception in Criminology. New York: Columbia University Press.
- Pollak, Otto. 1950. The Criminality of Women. New York: Barnes.
Related Terms
Works Consulted
Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 2011. Sociology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Briggs, Steven M., and Joan Friedman. 2009. Criminology For Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Kendall, Diana. 2011. Sociology in Our Times. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).
Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Ravelli, Bruce, and Michelle Webber. 2016. Exploring Sociology: A Canadian Perspective. 3rd ed. Toronto: Pearson.
Siegel, Larry J., and Clemens Bartollas. 2011. Corrections Today. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Siegel, Larry J., and John L. Worrall. 2012. Introduction to Criminal Justice. 13th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Siegel, Larry J., and John L. Worrall. 2013. Essentials of Criminal Justice. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Taylor & Francis. (N.d.) Routledge Handbooks Online. (https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/).
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).
Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).
Cite the Definition of Criminology
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “criminology.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved January 20, 2025 (https://sociologydictionary.org/criminology/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
criminology. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/criminology/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “criminology.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed January 20, 2025. https://sociologydictionary.org/criminology/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“criminology.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 20 Jan. 2025. <https://sociologydictionary.org/criminology/>.