Bio-Criminology
What is Biocriminology
Biocriminology is a sub-discipline of criminology that studies the intersection of biological factors and criminal behaviour. It examines how factors like genetics, neurobiology, and environment influence a person’s predisposition to commit crimes, distinguishing itself from earlier, discredited theories like those of Cesare Lombroso by focusing on modern scientific evidence rather than crude biological determinism. Contemporary bio criminology, also known as biosocial criminology, views biology and society as interacting to shape behaviour.
Penology
It is a subfield of criminology that examines the purpose, effectiveness, and methods of punishment, including incarceration, probation, and rehabilitation, with the goal of reducing recidivism and protecting society.
Green Crime
The field of green criminology also examines “transgressive” green crimes, which includes activities that cause significant environmental harm but may be legal under current laws, such as excessive deforestation. These crimes can involve organized criminal networks and are a major transnational issue
This broader concept includes any activity that harms the environment, even if it is not currently illegal.
Critical Criminology
It examines the social and economic contexts of crime, the state’s role in creating and enforcing laws, and the impact of labeling on individuals. Key influences include Marxist and feminist theories, and it incorporates ideas from postmodernism to analyze how power structures, privilege, and social status contribute to criminality and its definition.
Argues that crime arises from social conflict and power struggles, particularly those related to class, race, and gender.
Criminalist
A criminalist is an expert who applies scientific methods to analyse physical evidence from crime scenes, helping to investigate crimes by collecting, identifying, and preserving evidence. They work in laboratories, performing tests and interpreting results to write reports and present findings in court as expert witnesses. This role requires a strong science background and meticulous attention to detail, and differs from a criminologist, who is a social scientist studying crime patterns and causes.
Feminist
Feminist criminology is a subfield of criminology that emerged in the 1970s to address how traditional theories neglected women’s experiences as both offenders and victims. It critiques male-dominated approaches by examining how gender shapes crime, the justice system, and theories of deviance. Key areas of focus include analysing women’s unique pathways to crime (often linked to trauma and socioeconomic issues), the gendered nature of victimization (particularly sexual violence), and the role of gender in how the criminal justice system treats women.
Convict Criminology
Emerging from the US in the late 1990s, it promotes “insider research” and mentorship for former prisoners, combining personal narratives with criminological theory to inform scholarship, activism, and policy reform in criminal justice.
Zemiology
Zemiology is the study of social harm which originated as a critique of traditional criminology. It is a field that examines a wide range of harms—including poverty, inequality, and environmental damage—that are not always covered by legal definitions of crime. The term comes from the Greek word “zēmiaz ē m i a𝑧ē𝑚𝑖𝑎“, meaning “harm
Go ahead and try the quiz game with questions in criminology , psychology, forensics, police and power