The Institute of Criminology is the criminological research institute within the

Faculty of Law A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...

at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. The institute is one of the oldest criminological research institutes in Europe, and has exerted a strong influence on the development of

criminology Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and s ...

. Its multidisciplinary teaching and research staff are recruited from the disciplines of

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial p ...

psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...

, and

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

. It is located on the Sidgwick Site in the west of

Cambridge, England Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge became ...

. The Institute of Criminology building was designed by

Allies and Morrison Allies and Morrison LLP is an architecture and urban planning practice based in London and Cambridge. Founded in 1984, the practice is now one of Britain's largest architectural firms. The practice's work ranges from architecture and interio ...

. The institute is also home to the Radzinowicz Library, which houses the most comprehensive criminology collection in the United Kingdom. The institute has approximately 50 PhD students, 30-40 M.Phil. students, and 200 M.St students. The institute also offers courses to Cambridge undergraduates, particularly in law, but also in human social and political sciences and in psychology and behavioural sciences.

History

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Sir

Leon Radzinowicz Sir Leon Radzinowicz, (15 August 1906 – 29 December 1999) was a criminologist and academic. He was the founding director of the Institute of Criminology at the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge. Early life Radzinowicz was born on ...

established the Department of Criminal Science in the

at the

. In 1959, as the field of

was met with increasing interest and success, Sir

founded the Institute of Criminology with the support of a benefaction from the

Wolfson Foundation The Wolfson Foundation is a charity that awards grants to support excellence in the fields of science and medicine, health, education and the arts and humanities. Overview The endowment of the Wolfson Foundation is currently some £800 million, ...

and the

Howard League for Penal Reform The Howard League for Penal Reform is a registered charity in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest penal reform organisation in the world, named after John Howard. It was founded as the Howard Association in 1866 and changed its name in 1921, ...

Research centres

The Institute publishes the Cambridge Crime Harm Index (CCHI), which is the first system that measures the seriousness of crime harm to victims. * Centre for Analytic Criminology * Centre for Community, Gender and Social Justice * Centre for Penal Theory and Penal Ethics * Jerry Lee Centre for Experimental Criminology * Prisons Research Centre * Violence Research Centre

Academic courses

The institute offers a number of different courses, including: * a nine-month taught M.Phil. Degree in criminology; * a twelve-month M.Phil. Degree in criminological research; * a two-year M.St Degree in applied criminology, penology and management (Cambridge Penology Programme), which is a postgraduate programme that equips students with cutting-edge knowledge and research skills to reflect on existing policy and practice in criminal justice; * a two-year M.St Degree in applied criminology and police canagement (Police Executive Programme), which is a postgraduate programme that offers a globally-relevant framework for preserving and enhancing democratic policing in the face of international challenges; * a Ph.D. programme in Criminology; * various undergraduate courses for Cambridge students in law, psychology, and sociology, including a joint sociology/criminology degree.

Notable people

*Sir

: the Founder of the Institute of Criminology and the first

Wolfson Professor of Criminology The Wolfson Professor of Criminology is a senior professorship at the University of Cambridge. The position was established in 1960 by a benefaction by the Wolfson Foundation and is the first of its kind in Britain. The position's first holder ...

. *Sir

Anthony Bottoms Sir Anthony Edward Bottoms FBA (born 29 August 1939) is a British criminologist. He is life fellow at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, having previously been a Wolfson Professor of Criminology at the Institute of Criminology in the Faculty of La ...

: Emeritus

, Director of the Centre for Penal Theory and Penal Ethics. *Ben Crewe: Professor of Penology and Criminal Justice, Prisons Research Centre. *Manuel Eisner: Wolfson Professor of Criminology and Professor of Comparative and Developmental Criminology, Director of the Violence Research Centre. *David Farrington: Emeritus Professor of Psychological Criminology *Loraine Gelsthorpe: Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Director of the institute, Director of the Centre for Community, Gender and Social Justice. *Alison Liebling: Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Director of the Prisons Research Centre. * Lawrence Sherman: Director of the Cambridge Police Executive Programme. *Heather Strang: Director of the Lee Centre of Experimental Criminology. *Per-Olof Wikström: Professor of Ecological and Developmental Criminology.

References

External links

Institute of Criminology
{{Authority control Criminology, Institute of