Criminology Qua Criminal Justice as an Open Discipline: On the Relationship between Sociology and Criminology in the USA

Abstract

This article takes stock of the criminological progress to become an independent discipline by examining the relationship between sociology and criminology. It proposes a scheme of development of criminology, which divides the history of criminology roughly into three eras. In the first era, sociology provided criminology a home in its infantry where it grew healthily into a dynamic subfield of study. During its second era of the great expansion, criminology and criminal justice diffused rapidly with the pain of identity crisis. This expansion provided new evidence for Kuhn’s thesis that political power, not scientific accuracy – determines the scientific dogma of the day. Finally, in the new millennium, criminologists are at a crossroad: Many believe that criminology has come of age while others maintain that criminology should maintain its bonds with sociology. It is concluded that criminology as an open and evolving discipline need to be inclusive in conducting research.

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