The Study of Criminology in China

Abstract

As a scholarly discipline, criminology in China is growing in stature, maturity and utility. In the short thirty years since 1979, China has successfully established criminology as a scientific field of study with well-defined subjects, recognised scholars and copious research/publications. A cursory review of pertinent literature in law, criminology and China studies shows that to date, there are very few systematic and comprehensive studies of criminology (in English language) as an emerging and important field of academic discipline in China. As a result, we know very little about its focus and scope; direction and trend; theories and findings; and problems and issues. This is a first attempt to do so. The article (in two parts, published separately) investigates into: ‘Literature on law, crime and punishment in China’; ‘The idea of crime (Fanzui)’; ‘Traditional thinking of crime and punishment in imperial China’; ‘Nature and structure of criminology as a discipline’; ‘Contemporary development of criminology in China’; ‘Contemporary theories on crime and punishment’ and ‘Fundamental issues and challenges’ facing criminological research in China.

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