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Criminology includes the study of all aspects of crime and law enforcement—criminal psychology, the social setting of crime, prohibition and prevention, investigation and detection, capture and punishment. Thus, many of the people involved—legislators, social workers, probation officers, judges, etc.—could possibly be considered criminologists, though the word usually refers only to scholars and researchers.
Examples of criminology in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Murton was teaching at Southern Illinois University and working on a doctorate in criminology when Rockefeller, who wanted an outsider to help reform the state's prison system, called him for help.
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Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025
Praise and approval are other social dynamics in father-son violence, according to Professor James Alan Fox, criminology professor at Northeastern University in Massachusetts.
—Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
But a group of criminology students, working with detectives who'd taken up the case again, may have found the killer — and their investigation points to a surprising suspect.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 9 Dec. 2025
At Oxford, Lieber will pursue a master of science in education and in criminology and criminal justice.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025
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Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025
Praise and approval are other social dynamics in father-son violence, according to Professor James Alan Fox, criminology professor at Northeastern University in Massachusetts.
—Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
But a group of criminology students, working with detectives who'd taken up the case again, may have found the killer — and their investigation points to a surprising suspect.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 9 Dec. 2025
At Oxford, Lieber will pursue a master of science in education and in criminology and criminal justice.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminology
Cite this Entry
“Criminology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criminology. Accessed 29 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
criminology
noun
crim·i·nol·o·gy
ˌkrim-ə-ˈnäl-ə-jē 
: a scientific study of crime, of criminals, and of their punishment or correction
Medical Definition
Legal Definition
criminology
noun
crim·i·nol·o·gy
ˌkri-mə-ˈnä-lə-jē
: the scientific study of crime as a social phenomenon, of criminals, and of penal treatment
criminologically
adverb
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