Crime, victim, prison, what have all these words in commons? They are all related to one field of study: Criminology, but what is it? It is the study of crime from a social perspective. More specifically, the expert in this field, examine the reason and the impact of a crime and how to prevent it. They can work in many places such as prison, government agencies, psychiatric hospitals and more. They will work with the criminals to better understand the reason behind their acts. They will also work with the justice to recommend what punishment to give and if the offender has a chance of recidivism. This glossary regroups many words that are possible to hear in a Criminology work environment. My sources are websites, such as Google, Lextutor Concordancer and Wikimedia Commons.
authority
noun
A person or organization having power or control in a particular, typically political or administrative, sphere.
Example: It is important to respect and submit to the AUTHORITY to which you are assigned to.
fr: autorité
behaviour
noun
The way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially toward others.
Example: He was notorious for his violent and threatening BEHAVIOUR.
fr: comportement
cause
noun
The reason why something, especially something bad, happens.
Example: The police are still trying to establish the CAUSE of the fire.
fr: cause
conditional release
noun
A modification of a court-ordered commitment, which may be revoked upon violation of its terms.
Example: CONDITIONALS RELEASE shall continue until the expiration of the statutory maximum sentence provided by law for the crime or crimes of which the offender was convicted.
fr: libération conditionnelle
crime
noun
An action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law.
Example: The former chief executive had committed a CRIME and was brought to justice.
fr: crime
criminologist
noun
An expert in the scientific study of crime and criminals.
Example: The pioneering CRIMINOLOGIST proposed a method for identifying criminals.
fr: criminologue
description
noun
A spoken or written representation or account of a person, object, or event.
Example: She has given the police a very full DESCRIPTION of the robber.
fr: description
document
noun
A piece of written, printed, or electronic matter that provides information or evidence or that serves as an official record.
Example: Many important historical DOCUMENTS were destroyed when the library was bombed.
fr: document
explanation
noun
The details or reasons that someone gives to make something clear or easy to understand.
Example: The judge didn't believe his EXPLANATION that he had stolen the money in order to give it to charity.
fr: explication
government agency
noun
An organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions.
Example: Some became Public Allies staff themselves; some are now even leaders in GOVERNMENT AGENCIES and inside national nonprofit organizations.
fr: organisme gouvernemental
intervention program
noun
A program designed to identify individuals with developmental disabilities in need of services and to assist them in obtaining the appropriate service.
Example: INTERVENTION PROGRAM objectives include long and short-term goals and an appraisal of those which the patient can realistically be expected to achieve from the program.
fr: programme d'intervention
justice
noun
The system of laws in a country that judges and punishes people.
Example: The JUSTICE system in this country consists of a series of law courts at different levels.
fr: justice
law
noun
The system of rules which a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties.
Example: Playing loud music late at night is against the LAW.
fr: loi
offender
noun
A person who is guilty of a crime.
Example: She is a persistent OFFENDER and has been arrested five times this year for shoplifting.
fr: délinquant
prevention
noun
The act of stopping something from happening or of stopping someone from doing something.
Example: Exercise and diet play a role in the PREVENTION of heart disease.
fr: prévention
prison
noun
A building where criminals are forced to live as a punishment.
Example: If you spend any time in PRISON, you're labelled as a criminal for the rest of your life.
fr: prison
protection
noun
The condition or state of being kept safe from injury, damage, or loss.
Example: Hard hats provide PROTECTION for the workers' heads.
fr: protection
psychology
noun
The scientific study of the way the human mind works and how it influences behaviour, or the influence of a particular person's character on their behaviour.
Example: She studied behavioural PSYCHOLOGY at college.
fr: psychologie
recidivism
noun
The act of continuing to commit crimes even after having been punished.
Example: RECIDIVISM rates are 25 percent lower for offenders who get structured treatment.
fr: récidive
recommendation
noun
A suggestion that something is good or suitable for a particular purpose or job.
Example: The report makes the RECOMMENDATION that no more prisons should be built.
fr: recommandation
right
noun
The fact that a person or animal can expect to be treated in a fair, morally acceptable, or legal way, or to have the things that are necessary for life.
Example: She campaigned for women's RIGHTS during the 1960s.
fr: droit
security
noun
The state of being free from danger or threat.
Example: The system is designed to provide maximum SECURITY against toxic spills.
fr: sécurité
Social Science
noun
The scientific study of human society and social relationships.
Example: In examining the culture of politics, the ultimate aim of SOCIAL SCIENCE is to link culture to causality.
fr: Science sociale
society
noun
A group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.
Example: We must also consider the needs of the younger/older members of SOCIETY.
fr: société
victim
noun
A person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, action, or another event.
Example: The murderer had lured his VICTIM to a deserted house.
fr: victime
violence
noun
Extremely forceful actions that are intended to hurt people or are likely to cause damage.
Example: She was concerned about the amount of VIOLENCE on television.
fr: violence
vulnerable
adjective
Someone who is vulnerable is weak and without protection, with the result that they are easily hurt physically or emotionally.
Example: Old people are often particularly VULNERABLE members of our society.
