Criminology: The Science That Studies Crimes And Crimes
With the growing popularity of dramatic series that involve solving crimes, chasing criminals or trying to get inside their minds to get them one step ahead, we think we are familiar with the term criminologystating that it is a science whose sole purpose is to solve the crime perpetrated.
And although criminal investigation is one of its functions, It should be noted that criminology is not reduced exclusively to this field but has a wide possibility of being used and applied for the benefit of society
It was Rafaelle Garofalo, an Italian jurist, who first coined the term criminology whose etymological meaning derives from the Latin criminis (crime/delict) and from the Greek logos (treaty or study) so its purest definition is “study of crime.” But attributing this definition to criminological work would be too vague.
Criminology is an inter and multidisciplinary science whose purpose is the study, analysis, intervention, prevention and prophylaxis of both crime, criminality and criminality Therefore, the object of study of criminology would be antisocial behavior, those behaviors that deviate from what is normally accepted by society and that even threaten its integrity, based on the premise that man is a biopsychosocial being and Therefore, crime as human behavior must be explained as a phenomenon that encompasses biological, psychological and sociological aspects.
Applications and functions of criminology
Although it is true that criminology can be applied to criminal investigation processes and assistance to the justice system, such as the preparation of expert reports, collection, packaging and study of evidence, the issuance of opinions, criminal profiling, social rehabilitation, prison treatment among others, It is important to clarify that these tasks correspond solely to the work of the criminologist in the public sphere
On the other hand, since crime is a social, global and complex phenomenon, it also the private sector demands their work Companies such as banks and insurance companies request criminology experts to investigate suspicious banking movements to identify if any suspicious transactions are being obtained or used for illicit purposes such as terrorist financing or money laundering; They also demand the criminologist to analyze the risks to which an asset to be insured is exposed, investigate an incident that is insured, the verification and analysis of documents and signatures and even when recruiting personnel.
Demand and job field of the criminologist
In this present where, unfortunately, It seems that crime is on the rise, the demand for criminologists has been increasing especially in countries where organized crime has gained ground such as Mexico, Colombia, Chile, etc.
Private companies are also requesting experts in criminology to prevent crimes or accidents that put both their assets and their clients at risk. The work that the 21st century criminologist can do is extensive and, as has become clear, not only dedicate himself to forensic investigation.
Attorney’s offices and justice departments, investigation agencies, social reintegration centers, public ministries, banks, insurance companies, law firms, securities transfer companies, or private consulting, etc. These are some examples where the job opportunity presents itself for the criminologist.
