Is it ethical for a criminologist to “hang out” with criminals and watch as they commit crime for research purposes? Does the criminologist have an obligation to report the criminal behavior to the...

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The Ethics of Criminology
Like any other professional a criminologist must also adhere to
some professional code of ethics and failing to adhere to the code a
criminologist may not only disrespect the profession but also may
breach the rules and regulations related to the profession of
criminologist. Though it is a fact that sometimes criminologists have
to conduct controlled experiments to ascertain the causes of a
particular crime and though it is also a truth that sometimes
criminologists have to conduct field study to learn more about the
mindset of criminals, in my opinion, it is never viable for a
criminologist to hang out with criminals unnecessarily and observe
them committing serious crimes for the sake of research. It should be
kept in mind that criminologists are liable to uphold law and order
and they are liable to report to the police any heinous criminal
conduct and failing to do so a criminologist will only invite the
collapse of his professional and social reputation.
Primarily, as a registered criminologists individuals have to
“strive to improve their effectiveness by diligent study and sincere
attention to improvement and welcome the opportunity to disseminate
practical and useful information relating to...