Historical Development of Criminology


First, man thought that the criminals were possessed by a supernatural powersome evil spirit or devil which impels them to commit crime.
In 1885, Italian law professor Raffaele Garofalo coined the term "criminology" (in Italian, criminologia).




Chapter II


Methodology in Crime Study



A- THE USE OF CASE HISTORIES;
A case history involves a much more thorough knowledge of the individual criminal than statistics can ever give
The sources of crime may be sought in three directions:
(1) in the abnormal personality traits of the criminal;
 (2) in the abnormal physical and social conditions under which he has lived; and
(3) in the general culture characterizing each society or large sections of the society.



B- METHOD OF PARTICIPATION


This method is difficult, not to say dangerous. The researcher participates as nearly as possible in the experiences and group life of the delinquent. He thus comes into such close contact with the delinquent experience that he can see many of its aspects that he could never understand otherwise.


C- THE THERAPEUTIC METHOD

Though this method is one of treatment, it permits to make a diagnostic about the causes of the crime as an act expressing the personality of the offender interacting with the environment.


D- STATISTICAL METHODS

Statistical comparisons between criminals and noncriminals help determine the traits of criminals. We may compare statistically the traits of criminals and non-criminals, and the conditions under which criminals have lived with those which have surrounded non-criminals.


E-Method of Cartography:

Their approach has been called cartography, because it involves the use of data to map or chart patterns of crime.


F- Victimiization surveys
Apparently the first effort to measure crime by surveying members of households was carried out in 1720 in Denmark.


- The Dark Figure in Victimization Surveys

Victimization surveys have uncovered a substantial dark figure, the number of crimes that actually occur but are not recorded by the police. The dark figure exists for many reasons, especially the failure of victims to report crimes and the failure of the police to record all reported crimes. -



Methodological Problems with Victimization Surveys Victimization surveys. One problem is the issue of validity, or how well the surveys actually measure the amount of crime in a society forgetting can lead to underestimation of the amount of crime that has actually occurred, and it makes it difficult for subjects to tell interviewers exactly when they were victimized