SOC 1500 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Content Analysis
23 Oct 2012
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Document Summary
Criminology is the scientific approach to the study of criminal behaviour. Sutherland and cressey"s definition includes the most important areas of interst to criminologists: the development of criminal law and its use to define crime, the cause of law violations ,and the methods used to control criminal behaviour. Criminologists use objective research methods to pose research questions (hypotheses), gather data, create theories, and test the validity of theories. They use every method of established social science inquiry: analysis of existing records, experimental designs, surveys, historical analysis, and content analysis. An essential part of criminology is the fact that it is an interdisciplinary science: few universities in canada grant graduate degrees in criminology. Criminology combines elements from many other fields in understanding the connections among law, crime, and justice. In the late 1960s, research projects were developed to understand the way police, courts, and correctional agencies operated. The two fields coexist and help each other grow and develop.
