Criminology: the science that studies crimes and crimes
With the growing popularity of the dramatic series that involve solving crimes, pursuing criminals or trying to get into their minds to take them one step further, we believe we are familiar with the term criminology, adjudging that it is a science whose sole purpose is to solve the crime perpetrated.
And while criminal investigation is one of its functions, It should be noted that criminology is not limited exclusively to this field but has a wide possibility of being used and applied for the benefit of society .
What is criminology?
It was Rafaelle Garofalo, an Italian jurist, who coined the term for the first time criminology whose etymological meaning derives from Latin criminis (crime / crime) and the Greek logos (treaty or study) so that its purest definition is "study of crime". But to attribute this definition to the criminological task 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 even threaten the integrity of society, based on the premise that man is a biopsychosocial being and , therefore, crime as human behavior must be explained as a phenomenon that covers biological, psychological and sociological aspects.
Applications, and functions of criminology
Although it is true that criminology can be applied to processes of criminal investigation and assistance to the justice system such as the preparation of expert reports, survey, packaging and study of evidence, the issuance of opinions, criminal profiling, social readaptation, prison treatment among others, It is important to clarify that these tasks correspond only to the work of the criminologist in the public sphere.
On the other hand, since crime is a social, global and complex phenomenon, the private sector demands its work . Companies such as banks and insurers solicit experts in criminology to investigate suspicious banking movements to identify if some suspicious transactions are being obtained or used for illicit purposes such as financing terrorism or money laundering; they also demand the criminologist to analyze the risks to which an asset to be insured is exposed, investigate a claim that is insured, verify and analyze documents and signatures, and even when recruiting personnel.
Demand and labor field of the criminologist
In this present in which, unfortunately, It seems that criminality is increasing, 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 criminology experts to prevent crimes or accidents that put their assets and their clients at risk. The work that the criminologist of the 21st century can carry out is extensive and it has become clear not only to engage in forensic investigation.
Procurator's offices and justice departments, research agencies, social reintegration centers, public ministries, banks, insurers, law firms, securities transfer companies, or private consultancy, etc. are some examples where the job opportunity is presented to the criminologist.
