Criminology Degree
As the name suggests, criminology degree may be termed as the study of crime and its impact on society. Typically, a criminologist may study criminal law or criminal behavior. They may be expected to study this field in-depth to understand and analyze human behavior. They are usually employed with government agencies, private organizations or may work as professors in a criminal law college. However, a PhD would be required for taking up teaching as a career. Crime is the worst enemy of mankind and it is amazing how one individual can harm or hurt another. The consequences of crime are many. The person on whom criminal acts are inflicted may lose confidence, experience low self-esteem, feel ashamed or angered, get frustrated or he or she may not be able to sleep well. Fear, anxiety, stress, depression, and nervousness may grip an individual who is a victim of crime.
Criminology degree is a branch of social science, since it is known to study the behavior of a criminal. It evaluates the cause of the crime and the subsequent consequences. Criminology has several branches or sub topics that can be studied. Some of them are explained here.
- Victimology - This branch of crime is related to victimization. It also studies the relationship between the victim and the accused. Victimization occurs in the form of rape, sexual abuse, assault, household robbery, car thefts, property crime, and so on.
- Juvenile crime - Youth crime has been on a rise since the twentieth century. Juvenile delinquency refers to the crime that is committed repeatedly. Criminology degree teaches the students to deal with behavior of such criminals who may suffer from stress, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, social disorganization and post traumatic disorder and so on.
- Domestic violence - This too is a branch of crime and may denote a suppressive behavior. This kind of violence has become common because people tolerate such acts. A criminologist may be expected to study the situation and the behavior in depth.
- Deviant behavior - This branch of crime deals with violation of cultural and societal norms. This sociology of deviance is further divided into structural functionalism, symbolic interactions and conflict theory.
- Penology - A criminology degree may also include the studies related to prevention of crime through punishment and oppressive behavior. It not only advocates punishment, it also believes in rehabilitation of the criminals so that they can live in the society.
Fear of crime - This branch of crime is known to deal with the fear an individual feels. People are scared of being victims of crime and live in fear of the same. This can badly affect the psychological balance of a person. These studies are also a part of a criminology degree.
