Criminology Law

Criminology in its modern form includes a wide variety of topics. It first emerged as a distinct discipline in the late nineteenth century with the aim of discovering the cause or causes of crime and that continues to be one of its main preoccupations. Modern criminologists, however, concern themselves with many other related issues such as punishment theory, sentencing policies, penal practices and institutions (such as imprisonment and probation), policing and crime control. Why study criminology? It deals with one of the major social issues of our time- crime and punishment. The study of criminology introduces students to some key elements and thinkers of the Western intellectual tradition. Philosophers and sociologists have informed the development of various theories on criminology and why people commit crime. Familiarity with such theories and thinkers is an important part of one?s general legal education. The materials for the course will be mainly sociological in nature. There are no cases or statutes to be studied or analysed. However, the criminological theories that will be examined will be related back to the Irish criminal justice system to determine the relevance of these theories to crime in Ireland.