Criminology (from
Latin , "accusation"; and
Greek ,
-logia) is the scientific study of the nature, extent, management, causes, control, consequences, and prevention of criminal behavior, both on the individual and social levels. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioral and social sciences, drawing especially upon the research of
sociologists,
psychologists,
psychiatrists,
social anthropologists, as well as scholars of law.