Criminal justice and criminology are part of the same broad field. Criminal justice refers to the application of policing practices and policies, and criminology is chiefly concerned with the theories that explain those practices and policies.
The field of criminal justice and criminology draws from a diverse range of disciplines, including sociology, political science, public administration, psychology, history, and the law. Holding this multidisciplinary field together is its fundamental focus on justice.
Whatever your specialization as a student—policing, law enforcement management, juvenile justice, corrections, law and the courts, or homeland security—you may be asked to write papers on topics such as policing practices and policies, the administration of justice, legal decision making, and the theories criminologists use to explain and analyze crime. Your instructors may also ask you to imagine different audiences and purposes for this writing to prepare you for the complexity of writing tasks and the readers you’ll encounter in the workplaces you enter.
Related topics:
Your audience in criminal justice and criminology
Forms of writing in criminal justice and criminology
Questions criminal justice professionals and criminologists ask
Kinds of evidence criminal justice professionals and criminologists use
Writing conventions in criminal justice and criminology
APA or Chicago (CMS) system for writing in criminal justice and criminology