Explain how the academic field of criminal justice developed and how it differs from closely related fields such as sociology and law. The study of crime as an academic discipline emerged in the...

Explain how the academic field of criminal justice developed and how it differs from closely related fields such as sociology and law.

The study of crime as an academic discipline emerged in the United States in the twentieth century and was rooted in the academic discipline of sociology. The discipline of criminal justice emerged in the 1960s and matured in the 1980s. The study of law is a distinctly different discipline from criminal justice or criminology. An objective of the study of criminal justice may be to develop theories, but also applied research, or problem-solving research.

1. Which academic discipline provided the earliest roots for criminal justice studies?

2. What is the purpose of studying criminology?

3. Name some of the new fields of study associated with criminal justice.