Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
Criminology is the scientific study of crime—but what counts as “crime” is neither fixed nor self-evident. The term criminology derives from the Latin crimen (accusation, offence) and the Greek logos (study or knowledge). At its most basic level, criminology is therefore the study of crime. Yet this seemingly simple definition raises a more fundamental question:
Restorative Justice (RJ) represents a paradigm shift in the way societies deal with crime and conflict. Rather than focusing on punishment and retribution, restorative approaches emphasise dialogue, reparation, and the active participation of all parties involved. Victims, offenders, and community members are brought together to address harm, foster accountability, and promote healing. Restorative justice is
Victimology is the scientific study of victims of crime, their experiences, and their interactions with offenders, society, and the criminal justice system. As a subfield of criminology, it emerged in the mid-20th century and has since developed into an independent research tradition. Victimisation, by contrast, refers to the process and experience of becoming a victim.
Crime is a highly emotional topic. Media reports, political debates, and everyday conversations create images of crime that are often distorted or exaggerated. Criminology, however, shows that many of these perceptions are myths. The following section presents twelve widespread myths about crime and critically discusses them.
With their book Queer Criminology (2015), Carrie L. Buist and Emily Lenning lay the foundation for a new criminological subfield that centers queer lives, identities, and experiences in the study of crime and social control. The book challenges the heteronormative and cisnormative assumptions that have long structured mainstream criminology and calls for a fundamental rethinking