INTRODUCTION TO

CRIMINOLOGY
By: Denise Anne G. Osorio RC MSC (OP)
What is Criminology?
• Traditional Definition
Criminology is a body of knowledge regarding
delinquency and crime as a social phenomenon.
• Modernist Definition of Criminology
Criminology may refer to the study of crimes and
criminals and the attempt of analyzing scientifically their
causes and control and the treatment of criminals.
According to modern Criminologists
Sutherland and Cressey
• Criminology is the body of knowledge
regarding crimes as a social
phenomenon, it includes within the
scope the process of making laws,
breaking of laws, of reacting towards the
breaking of laws.
Elliot and Merill
• Criminology is the study of crimes and its
treatment
Taft
• Criminology is the study of all subject matters
necessary in understanding and preventing
crime, the punishment and treatment of
criminals.
Bartol
• Criminology is also a multidisciplinary study of
crimes.
Etymology of the Word Criminology
• The term Criminology is derived from the
Latin word crimen, which means
"accusation"; and the Greek word logia
which denote "study".
• In 1885, Professor Raffaele Garofalo coined
the word criminology as "criminologia".
• Paul Topinard, a French anthropologist,
used the term “criminologie”.
Distinguish Criminologist,
Criminalist, and Criminal
Justice Practitioner
 CRIMINOLOGIST
• A person who study criminology.
• He is more concerned with the scientific aspects of
crimes in relation to criminal justice.
• He analyzes crime and criminal behaviors and
attempts to provide explanations as to who
commits crime and why they do it.
• He also analyzes a criminal's behavior.
• It also helps make crime statistics into usable tools
for law enforcement agencies.
CRIMINALIST
• Study criminalistics or forensic science.
• A physical scientist who uses scientific
methods and techniques to find and
interpret physical evidence.
• They rely on scientific findings and
techniques used in a particular field and
apply them within a legal framework.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
PRACTITIONER
• A person who deals in the broad areas
of law enforcement, courts and
corrections.
• Work may include police work;
probation or parole work or counselling
and correctional work in correctional
institutions.
Nature of Criminology

• Applied Science - Anthropology,

psychology, sociology and other natural
sciences may be applied in the study of the
causes of crime while chemistry, medicine,
physics, mathematics, etc. may be utilized
in crime detection.
• Social Science- In as much as crime is a
societal creation and that it exists in a
society, its study must be considered a part
of social its science.
• Dynamic Discipline- Criminology changes as
social condition changes. That means the
progress of criminology is concordant with the
advancement of other sciences that have been
applied to it.
• Nationalistic in Nature- The study of crime
must always be in relation with the existing
criminal law within the territory.
CRIME DEFINED
 Crime is a generic term which refer to all
acts that violate law. According to the
Philippine law dictionary.
 Crime is also defined as an act that
violates the law of the nation.
 Crime is an act committed or omitted in
violation of the public law forbidding or
commanding it.
SUB-CLASSIFICATION OF CRIMES
• FELONY-an act or omission punishable
by law which is committed by means of
dolo (deceit) or culpa (fault) and
punishable under the Revised Penal Code
• OFFENSE-an act or omission in violation
of a special law.
• INFRACTION-an act or omission in
violation of a city or municipal ordinance.
FELONIES ACCORDING TO THE MEANS BY
WHICH THEY ARE COMMITTED:
1. Intentional Felonies – the act is performed or the omission is incurred
with deliberate intent or malice to do an injury.

Requisites of DECEIT (dolo) or MALICE: (FII)

Freedom = voluntariness on the part of the person to commit the act
or omission.

Intelligence = capacity to know and understand the consequence of

one’s act.

Intent (Criminal) = the purpose is to use a particular means to effect

such result. Intent to commit an act with malice being purely a mental
process is presumed. Such presumption arises from the proof of
commission of an unlawful act. A mental Process, hence its existence is
shown by overt acts.
• 2. Culpable Felonies – performed without malice
• Requisites of FAULT (culpa): (FIN)
• 1. Freedom;
• 2. Intelligence;
• 3. Negligence, Imprudence, lack of foresight, or lack of skill.
• Negligence = indicates deficiency of perception; failure to pay
proper attention and to use diligence in foreseeing the injury or
damage impending to be caused. Usually involves lack of
foresight.
• Imprudence = indicates deficiency of action: failure to take the
necessary precautions to avoid injury to person or damages to
property. Usually involves lack of skill.
• Reason for punishing acts of negligence: A man must use
common sense and exercise due reflection in all his acts; it is his
duty to be cautious, careful and prudent.
IMPRUDENCE

NEGLIGENCE
 CRIMES OF MISTAKE
• el que es causa de la causa es causa del mal
causado- he who is the cause of the cause is the
cause of the evil caused
• Error in personae – mistake in the identity of the
victim.
• Abberatio ictus – mistake in the blow thereby hitting
a different and/or another victim.
• Praeter intentionem – injuries result is greater than
that intended.
LEGAL CLASSIFICATION OF
CRIMES
• 1) as to the manner crimes are
committed:
• by means of dolo or deceit - when the
act was done with deliberate intent.
• by means of culpa or fault-when the
wrongful act results from imprudence,
negligence, lack of foresight or lack of
skill.
2. as to the stages in the commission of
crimes:
• Consummated crime – when all the elements necessary
for its execution and accomplishment are present
• Frustrated crime – when the offender has performed all
the acts of execution which will produce the felony as a
consequence but which nevertheless do not produce it,
by reason of causes independent of the will of the
perpetrator
• Attempted crime - when the offender commences the
commission of a crime directly by overt acts and does
not perform all the acts of execution which should
produce the felony by reason of some cause or accident
other than his own spontaneous desistance
Legal Maxims
“Nullum crimen nulla poena sine lege” – meaning
there is no crime when there is no law punishing
such act.
“Actus me invitus factus non est meus actus” -- “An
act done by me against my will is not my act”
While ignorance of the law excuses no one
(ignorantia lege neminem excusat), a mistake of
fact excuses the actor from liability (ignoranti
facti excusat).
3) according to plurality of crime:
simple crime – single act constituting only one
offense
Ex. Theft, Robbery, Homicide, Murder, Libel
complex crime – single act constituting two or more
grave felonies (compound crime) or an is a necessary
means for committing the other (complex crime
proper).
Ex. Robbery with Homicide, Rape with homicide,
Arson resulting in death and damage to property.
4) according to gravity:

• grave felonies – those to which the law

attaches the capital punishment or
afflictive penalties
• less grave felonies – those to which the
law attaches correctional penalties
• light felonies – those to which the law
attaches the penalty of arresto menor or a
fine not exceeding P200.00
 Factors that Enhances Criminality:

• Criminal demography – study of the relationship between

criminality and population
• Criminal epidiomology – study of the relationship between
criminality and environment
• Criminal ecology – study of criminality in relation to the
spatial distribution of crime in the community
• Criminal physical anthropology – study of criminality in
relation to the physical constitution of man
• Criminal psychology – study of human behavior in relation to
crimes
• Criminal psychiatry – study of human mind in relation to
crimes
• Victimology – the role of the victim in the commission of
crime
HISTORICAL SETTING OF CRIMINOLOGY

ESTIMATED DATE THEORY BASIS MOTIVE

5000BC- 1692AD Demonology Demonic Influence
1642-present Education Academic under achievement
1895-present Psychoanalysis Subconscious guilt/ Defense
mechanism

1690s Classical school of criminology Free will/ reason, hedonism

1840s Positive school of criminology Determinism, beyond control

of individual

1770-1875 Prenology Bumps on head

1800-present Cartography Geographic location, climate
1908-present Sociology Socio environmental factors
1938-1980 Culture conflict Conflict of customs from “old”
country
1939-present Differential association Learning from bad
companions

19621-1971 Containment Outer temptation – inner

resistance balance

1961-present Control theory Weak social bonds

1954-present Strain theory Anger, relative deprivation,
inequality

1963-1976 Labelling theory Self- fulfilling prophecies/

name calling

1957-1990 Neutralization Self- talk, excuses before

behaviour
Pre-Classical Beginning

• The theoretical dimension of criminology has a

long history and ideas about the causes of
crime can be found in philosophical thought
over two thousand years ago. For example, in
Politics, Plato's student, Aristotle (384-322
B.C.), stated that "poverty engenders rebellion
and crime (Quinney 1970)." Religious scholars
focused on causes as diverse as natural human
need, deadly sins, and the corrupting
influence of Satan and other demons.
Classical Period

The leading theorists in criminology history started

with the advocates of this classical school of
criminology, the Italian Cesare Beccaria (1738-94),
argued that the law must apply equally to all, and
that punishments for specific crimes should be
standardized by legislatures, thus avoiding judicial
abuses of power. Both Beccaria and another classical
theorist, the Englishman Jeremy Bentham (1748-
1832), argued that people are rational beings who
exercise free will in making choices.
Neo-Classical Era

•Accordingly, they proposed that those who could

not distinguish right from wrong particularly
children and mentally ill persons, should be
exempted from the punishments that were
normally meted out to mentally capable adults
who had the same crimes. Along with the
contributions of a later generation of
criminologists.
Positivist Determinism

Later in the nineteenth century, the positivist school of

criminology brought a scientific approach to criminology,
including findings from biology and medicine. The leading
figure of this school was the Italian Cesare Lombroso (1836-
1909).
Influenced by Charles R. Darwin's theory of evolution,
Lombroso measured the physical features of prison inmates
and concluded that criminal behavior correlated with
specific bodily characteristics, particularly cranial, skeletal,
and neurological malformations. According to Lombroso,
biology created a criminal class among the human
population.
Cartographic school of Thought

• Other late-nineteenth-century
developments in criminology included
the work of statisticians in the
cartographic school, who analyzed data
on population and crime. These included
Lambert Adolphe Quetelet, (1796- 1874)
of France and André Michel Guerry, of
Belgium.
 APPROACHES IN THE STUDY OF CRIMINOLOGY

Subjective Approaches
a. Anthropological Approach - the study of the physical
characteristics of an individual offender with non-offenders in the
attempt to discover differences covering criminal behavior
(Hooton).
b. Medical Approach the application of medical examinations on
the individual criminal explain the mental and physical condition
of the individual prior and after the commission of the crime
(Positivist).
c. Biological Approach -the evaluation of genetic influences on
criminal behavior. It is noted that heredity is one force pushing the
criminal to the crime (Positivist).
d. Physiological Approach - the study of the nature of human
beings concerning his physical needs in order to satisfy his
ants. It explains that the deprivation of the physical body on
the basic needs is an important determiner of the
commission of the crime (Maslow).

e. Psychological Approach -it is Concerned about the

deprivation of the psychological needs of man, which
constitute the development of deviations of normal behavior
resulting to unpleasant emotions (Freud, Maslow).

f. Psychiatric Approach - the explanation of crime through

diagnosis of mental diseases as a cause of the criminal
behavior (Positivist).
 Objective Approaches
• a. Geographic Approach this approach considers
topography, natural resources, geographical location, and
climate lead an individual to commit crime (Quetelet).
• b. Ecological Approach it is concerned with the biotic
grouping of men resulting in migration, competition, social
discrimination, division of labor and social conflict as factors
of crime (Park).
• c. Economic Approach it deals with the explanation of
crime concerning financial security of inadequacy and
other necessities to support life as factors to criminality
(Merton).
• d. Socio Cultural Approach - those that focus on
institutions, economic, financial, education, political, and
religious influences to Crime (Cohen).
Pioneers of Classical School
CESARE BECCARIA was an Italian philosopher and
economist best known for his treatise On Crimes and
Punishments. He was born on March 15, 1738 in Milan Italy.
JEREMY BENTHAM
An English philosopher and lawyer best known for the
theory of Utilitarianism. Thus, given the fame as "Father of
Utilitarianism". He was born in London on February 15,
1748 and lived at Queen's Square Place in Westminster.
The Theory of Utilitarianism is a philosophy which states
that a moral act is one which produces the greatest
happiness for the greatest number of people.
Positivist School of Criminology

• Charles Darwin's Origin of Species (1859)

was the turning point, which allowed a new
generation of criminologists to challenge
the classical school of criminology. 
• Positivism argues that people do not
choose freely to commit crime, rather
factors beyond their control are
responsible for the criminal behavior. 
LEADING PERSONALITIES:

• Cesare Lombroso
FATHER OF MODERN CRIMINOLOGY due to
his application of modern scientific methods to
trace criminal behavior, however, most of his
ideas is now discredited.
He claimed that criminals are distinguishable
from non-criminals due to the presence of
atavistic stigmata – the physical features of
creatures at an earlier stage of development.
3 Classes of Criminals (BIC)

• born criminals – individuals with at least five (5)

atavistic stigmata
• insane criminals – those who are not criminals by
birth; they become criminals as a result of some
changes in their brains which interfere with their
ability to distinguish between right and wrong
• criminaloids - those with make up of an ambiguous
group that includes habitual criminals, criminals by
passion and other diverse types
Theories of Crime 20th century
 EARLY 20TH CENTURY

• This is the period of Psychological Criminology

and the Rise of the Sociological Perspectives
on crime and criminals. This era was a shift of
the blame for crimes on human behavior and
the social and environmental circumstances.
• The Psychoanalytic criminology is a method
of studying crime and criminal behavior that
draws from psychoanalysis theory of Freud.
Psychological Determinism
1) SIGMUND FREUD

-he is recognized as the FATHER OF PSYCHOANALYSIS

-he founded the PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY OF CRIMINALITY in

which he attributed delinquent and criminal behavior to a
conscience that is overbearing which arouses feelings of guilt or a
conscience that is so weak that it cannot control the individual’s
impulses and the need for immediate gratification

-in his theory, PERSONALITY IS COMPRISED OF THREE

COMPONENTS:
a) ID – this stands for instinctual drives; it is governed
by the “pleasure principle”; the id impulses are not
social and must be repressed or adapted so that they
may become socially acceptable
b) EGO – this is considered to be the sensible and
responsible part of an individual’s personality and is
governed by the “reality principle”; it is developed
early in life and compensates for the demands of the
id by helping the individual guide his actions to
remain within the boundaries of accepted social
behavior; it is the objective, rational part of the
personality
• SUPEREGO – serves as the moral
conscience of an individual; it is
structured by what values were taught
by the parents, the school and the
community, as well as belief in God; it is
largely responsible for making a person
follow the moral codes of society
EMILE DURKHEIM
a French sociologist, born in France 1858.
According to him, crime is part of human nature
because it has existed during periods of both
poverty and prosperity.

ROBERT EZRA PARK

Human Ecology Theory is the study of the Inter-
relationship of people and their environment, a way
of looking at the interactions of humans with their
environments and considering this relationship as a
system.
EDWIN H. SUTHERLAND
was an American Sociologist, born on August 13,
1883, Nebraska, United States, and died in 1950. He
is best known for his Differential Association Theory
(DAT) and for defining white-collar crimes.
Sutherland has been referred to as "the most
important criminologist of the twentieth century”
because his explanation about crime and criminal
behavior can be seen as a corrected extension of
social perspective. For this reason, he was famous
as the "Dean of Modern Criminology".
ERNEST KRETSCHMER
-was a German Psychiatrist, born on October 8,
1888, in West Germany.
The idea of somatotyping was originated from
his work, who distinguished three principal types of
physique as:
1. Aesthenic - lean, slightly built, narrow shoulders
2. Athletic - medium to tall, strong, muscular, course
bones
3. Pyknic - medium height, rounded figure, massive
neck, broad face
MIDDLE TWENTIETH CENTURY

WILLIAM H. SHELDON
• was an American psychologist, born on
November 19, 1898, Rhode Island, United
States.
• He likewise studied SOMATOTYPE and came
up with a theory that establish a link
between different body types and criminality
categorizing them into three groups together
with their corresponding temperament;
 Type Temperament/Behavior
   
Endomorphic – short limbs, roundness Viscerotonic – generally relaxed, loves
of body and small bones comfort and an extrovert

Mesomorphic – muscular, lean, strong Romotonic – active, dynamic,

hands and body aggressive, and most likely to become
criminal

Ectomorphic – lean, sickly, small body Cerebrotonic – loner, sensitive to noise,

and predominance of skin hates crowd but the most intelligent
EARL RICHARD QUINNEY
Advocated the Instrumentalist Theory, He
claims that upper classes create laws that
protect their interest and the same time
the unwanted behavior of all other
members of society.
TRAVIS HIRSCHI -Advocated the Social
Control Theory. Specifically, in his Causes
of Delinquency, published in 1969, he
explained the Social Bond Theory.
ROBERT AGNEW
Advocated the General Strain Theory
influenced by the works of Durkheim and
Merton. The General Strain Theory revised
the strain theory and addressed many of
the criticisms of the original strain theory.
HOWARD S. BECKER
Advocated the Labeling Theory also
known as Social Reaction Theory, which is
based on the idea that a social deviant is
not an inherently deviant individual, rather
they become deviant because they are
labeled as such.
CHARLES R. DARWIN
Popularized the Evolution Theory which
laid the foundation of anthropological
criminology. He claimed that humans, like
other animals, are parasite.

CHARLES B. GORING
He was known for his The English Convict:
A Statistical Study one of the most
comprehensive criminological works of its
time.
ADOLPHE J. QUETELET

A Belgian Statistician who pioneered

Cartography and the Carthographical
School of Criminology that placed
emphasis on social statistics.
 Criminal Psychology
criminal psychology is a study that deals on
known criminal behavior.
Kinds of Behavior
a) Simple or Complex – classified based on number of
neurons involved. If there is less neurons in certain act,
it is simple. If there is more than it is complex behavior.
b) Overt or Covert – overt behavior is observable while
covert is not visible to the naked eye or hidden
c) Conscious of Unconscious – considered conscious
when a person is aware of his actions and if not then it
is considered unconscious.
d) Rational or Irrational – rational when it is done with
sanity while irrational is done without knowing the
nature and consequences of the actions
e) Voluntary or Involuntary – voluntary is an act done
willingly while the involuntary is the body activities and
processes which we cannot stop.
Aspects of Behavior

a) Attitude/Value – pertains to our likes and dislikes

or our interest toward something
b) Emotional – concerns with our feelings, moods,
temper
c) Intellectual – mental processes such as decision
making, reasoning and solving problems
d) Moral – pertains to conscience whether the action
done is good or bad.
e) Psychosexual – concerns to our state of being
whether man or woman
Types of phobias

Acrophobia High Places

Agoraphobia Open Places

Algophobia Pain
Astrophobia Storms/Lightning
Claustrophobia Closed Places
Hematophobia Blood
Hydrophobia/Aquaphobia Water
Monophobia Being Alone
Nyctophobia Darkness
Ocholophobia Crowds
Pathophobia Disease
Pyrophobia Fire
Mysophobia Contamination/germs
 Sexual Behavior Leading to Sex Crimes

• Choice of Partner
a) Auto Sexual – masturbation / self-
gratification
b) Bestiality – sex intercourse with animals
c) Gerontophilia –erotic desire with elder
person
d) Incest – sexual relationship between people
with blood relationship
e) Pedophilia – sexual desire with a child
f) Necrophilia – sexual perversion with a corpse
or dead body
Mode of Expression
• 1. Algolagnia (Sado-Masochism) – sexual
gratification is attained through pain or cruelty.
Two classifications:
• Sadism – sexual pleasure is achieved through
infliction of pain on the partner
• Masochism – sexual pleasure is obtained thru the
infliction of pain to oneself
• 2. Oralism - the satisfaction is attained by the use
of mouth or tongue.
• Anillingus – licking of the anus of the sexual partner
• Cunnillingus – this is attained by licking the female
genitalia
• Fellatio – licking and sucking the male sex organ
Number of Participants
a) Triolism – three participants in one sexual activity
b) Pluralism – also called “sexual festival” where
there are several participants
Part of the Body
c) Frottage – rubbing of sex organ to the body parts
of the partner to achieve gratification
d) Partialism – sexual libido on any part of the body
of a sexual partner
e) Uranism – sexual happiness is attained thru the
licking of partner’sbody (holding the
breast/fingering of genital)
f) Sodomy – insertion or penetration of the penis or
object to the anus of the partner
• Sexual Reversal
a) Fetishism – sexual enjoyment is
achieved by looking at some body
parts, underwear or any objects
associated with the partner
b) Homosexuality – sexual behavior is
towards the same sex
c) Transvetism – sexual satisfaction is
achieved by wearing the apparel or
underwear of the opposite sex
Sexual Urge
a) Nymphomania – sexual desire of a woman to
have sex
b) Satyriasis – sexual urge of a man to have sex
Visual Stimulus
c) Scoptophilia – sexual behavior characterized
by watching undress or nude people
especially during sexual activity
d) Voyeurism – sexual gratification is obtained
thru watching person doing something which
might undress herself in a private area. The
maniac is called Peeping Tom who usually
masturbates while doing his sexual behavior.
• Other Sexual Abnormalities
a) Coprolalia – sexual happiness is
attained by using obscene language
while having sexual intercourse.
b) Don Juanism – act of seducing
women without permanency of
sexual partner
c) Exhibitionism – indecent exposure
of sex organ to other people
Important Terms

• Cretinism – A disease associated with prenatal

thyroid deficiency and subsequent thyroid
inactivity, marked by physical deformities,
arrested development, goiter, and various forms
of mental retardation, including imbecility.
• Euthanasia – It signifies the release from life
given sufferer from an incurable and painful
disease.
• Alienist – This is a term applied to a specialist in
the study of mental disorders sometimes
interchangeably used with psychiatrist.
THANK YOU
AND
GOODLUCK!!