ABSTRACT
Criminology has many meanings, but at its widest and most commonly accepted it is taken to be the study of crime, criminals and criminal justice. There are many different approaches to criminology and the subject itself has been shaped by many different academic disciplines. Any study of crime must involve the study of law. Criminology explores the bases and implications of criminal laws – how they emerge, how they work, how they get violated and what happens to violators. In terms of criminal justice interventions, they have tended to be linked to evidence gathering and to the design or evaluation of strategies that aim to change criminal or chaotic behaviour. In this sense, they have viewed criminology as a more expert-based forensic science. The analysis of social divisions is central to the sociological enterprise. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed this book.
