Assessing the Boundaries Between Criminal Justice and Criminology

• Published date: 01 December 2014
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016814532100
• Author: Craig Hemmens,Brian P. Schaefer,Rolando V. del Carmen,Kevin F. Steinmetz
• Date: 01 December 2014
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Assessing the Boundaries

Between Criminal Justice

and Criminology

Kevin F. Steinmetz

1

, Brian P. Schaefer

2

,

Rolando V. del Carmen

3

, and Craig Hemmens

4

Abstract

There has long been a debate about what, if anything, differentiates criminology and criminal justice

programs. Both grew about of sociology and, to a lesser degree, law and political science. In the

1970s and early 1980s, debate arose over the scope and limits of the two. That debate has faded

today but the perceptions emanating from that controversy linger. The current study seeks to

reopen the debate and invite disciplinary reflection. Two sources of data are analyzed: (1) doctoral

program curricula and (2) articles in the top-tier disciplinary journals. Results show criminology

courses are well represented in criminal justice doctoral programs, while criminal justice courses

constitute a comparatively smaller part of criminology doctoral programs. In top-tier disciplinary

journals, criminology articles are more prevalent than criminal justice articles. Plausible explanations

are advanced. It is hoped that these findings provide a new springboard for further research and dis-

cussion that will lead to a better understanding and delineation of these allied disciplines.

Keywords

evaluation research, comparative crime/justice, qualitative methods, other

Introduction

The history of criminal justice and criminology (CCJ) is mired in disciplinary controversies. Debates

exist over the merits of quantitative versus qualitative research methods (DiCristina, 1997; Worrall,

2000), disciplinary independence (Triplett & Turner, 2010), and the role of legal scholarship

(Nolasco, Vaughn, & del Carmen, 2010), among others. Perhaps the most contentious debate is over

the distinction, if any, between criminal justice and criminology. In the 1980s, there was a conflict

1

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA

2

Department of Justice Administration, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

3

College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA

4

Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Kevin F. Steinmetz, D epartment of Sociol ogy, Anthropology , and Social Work, Kansa s State University, 204 Waters

Hall,Manhattan,KS,66506,USA.

Email: criminogenic@outlook.com

Criminal Justice Review

2014, Vol. 39(4) 357-376

ª2014 Georgia State University

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DOI: 10.1177/0734016814532100

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over these distinctions culminating in the Joint Commission on Criminology and Criminal Justice

Education (the Commission), releasing a series of publications seeking legitimacy for criminology

and criminal justice as academic disciplines (Conrad & Myren, 1979; Culbertson & Carr, 1981;

DeZee, 1980; Greene, Bynum, & Webb, 1982; Morn, 1980; Simpson, 1979; Zalman, 1981). This

debate focused on the scope and boundaries of CCJ. Ultimately, no firm boundaries were set and

the debate waned. Today, it is still a challenge for scholars to clearly delineate the divide.

Criminology has traditionally enjoyed a privileged status over criminal justice because of its rep-

utation for having a more scientific, empirical approach compared to the practical and applied

approach reputed for criminal justice (Conrad & Myren, 1979; Duffee & Allan, 2007; Hemmens,

2008; Morn, 1980). The basis for this distinction lies in the historical delineation between programs

that focused ontreating the study of crime as a social science and those that focused ontraining future

law enforcementpersonnel. Clear (2001),however, argues criminaljustice has earned for itself a niche

as an academic and scientific discipline—emphasizing understanding ‘‘how criminal justice systems

or agencies are structured ... how agents in these systems make decisions ... [and] what the agents

feel and believe’’ (Duffee & Allan, 2007, p. 4). Over time, the debate in the discipline over the dis-

tinctions between criminal justice and criminology has faded with some scholars referring to the dis-

cipline as CCJ or criminal justice and criminology—a unified instead of bifurcated label (Wrede &

Featherstone, 2012). Some academic departments have even combined the terms.

Determining where the boundaries between the two fields lie is important for CCJ scholars. As

discussed in greater detail later, tension historically exists between the two as each vies for academic

‘‘turf’’ in the domains of science, practice, theory, and application. Prestige, legitimacy, and respect

are at stake. For example, in a previous study of the boundaries between criminal justice and crim-

inology, Sorensen, Widmayer, and Scarpitti (1994) found that members of the Academy of Criminal

Justice Sciences (ACJS)—the disciplinary organization dedicated to criminal justice academic pur-

suits—were more likely to be practitioner oriented as well as focused on teaching and advising in

undergraduate and master’s programs. Less time was devoted to research by members of ACJS.

Members of the American Society of Criminology (ASC)—the organization devoted to criminolo-

gical pursuits—or scholars with dual memberships were more likely to spend time on research as

well as educate in doctoral programs. Up to the early 1990s, there were disparate emphases on scho-

larship/research versus practitioner/vocational interests between members of the two different sides

of the discipline in addition to potentially differing levels of prestige based on types of students edu-

cated (undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral).

Now may also be a fortuitous time to examine the boundaries in light of recent discussions of a

potential merger of the two major disciplinary organizations, ACJS and ASC (Hemmens & Clear,

2013). Given this, now may be a propitious time to begin reassessing the points of tension between

criminal justice and criminology before any further steps are taken toward integration—to ensure the

potential union is a marriage of equals. Additionally, in the current social climate of decreasing

crime rates, mass incarceration, rising surveillance, and increasingly complicated arrangements of

laws, assessing the boundaries between these two sides of the discipline represents an evaluation

of the priorities in CCJ. This article argues that these priorities may need to be adjusted.

This study examines the relationship between criminal justice and criminology within the disci-

pline to determine which side is dominant and emphasized. Two types of data are analyzed as a first

step toward revisiting the debate. These are doctoral courses within CCJ doctoral programs and

research studies published in top-tier peer-reviewed research journals in the discipline. If Clear

(2001) is correct in asserting that criminal justice has come into its own as a discipline, then we

would likely see a balanced presence of criminal justice courses in doctoral programs and

publications.

The current analysis starts with a review of the debate over the boundaries between criminal jus-

tice and criminology. Then, the required curricula of the doctoral programs in CCJ are examined to

358 Criminal Justice Review 39(4)