Criminology is stated to be an easy enough subject to study and it is nothing compared to rocket science; and yet developing countries are more inclined to teach rocket science to their students as oppose to criminology (Agozino, 2004). The author proposes that the reason behind such rationale is the fact that criminology is a social science that had a direct contact with colonialism (Agozino 2004). In other worlds, criminology came about as a direct impact of colonialism. In this paper the author sets out to find the actually meaning of the study of criminology as an “imperialist science for the control of others” while going beyond the Western crime control models (Agozino 344). Many African American criminologist has also examined the reasons why the criminal justice system is inherently dominated by minorities, others researchers have studied the violation of imperialist power in foreign countries, and most important there has been an argument to include the history of colonialism as a characteristics of the study of criminology (Agozino 2004).Criminology is stated to have come about as an idea for punishing and controlling non-Europeans during the period of colonization (Agozino 2004).
The paper is also set to convince scholars around the world to maintain research activities with the sole purpose of developing criminological knowledge in and about Africa, African Diaspora, and Third World for the promotion of Local and Global Peace and Justice (Agozino 2004). The following paper will discuss the idea pertaining to the study of criminology as a study which came about during the period of colonization. First of all, the paper will discuss some of the difficulties associated with the study of criminology. Secondly I will briefly discuss the relationship between African and Europeans; thirdly I will be drawing on the issue of over-representation in regards to Aboriginal and Indigenous individuals and will conclude by restating by theses.
It is quite evident that the formation of the Romano-Germanic family of law that presides over Europe was created predominately by the Roman Empire, German legal scholars and Emperor Napoleon but when talking about the cause of modern European imperialism and the idea of crime and punishment, criminology is “curiously silent” (Agozino 2004). The author stated that criminology is often silent because of the role it played during imperialism (Agozino 2004). But nonetheless, Tauri (2012) stated that colonial activity that took places in the 16th-20th century is important for the understanding and evolution of criminology as a discipline today.
Pre-Enlightenment period was the starting block for power and wrongdoings (Agozino 2004). During this period, kings had the moral responsibility to rule and individuals started rebelling because of “demonic possession from which they had to be exorcised and purified” (Agozino 2004). This “demonic judicial” process dealt with the “public execution of criminals or sinners, centralization of judicial authority in the hands of religious officials and bias against pagan women who were executed as witches” (Agozino 2004). During the period of the slave trade however, brought about the idea of classicism which fought against the arbitrary state of punishment in medieval Europe (Agozino 2004). However, this same idea of classicism did not apply to the Africans who were often victimised regardless of whether they committed a crime or not (Agozino 2004). Nevertheless, the idea of the new science criminology, a tool used to help the control of “classicist philosophies of justice” was recognized by Europe during the African and Asian colonization (346). Areas in Europe known to be the place for colonization is recognized as a place of lawlessness and chaos, occupied by tyrannical governments, and rootless thugs and bandits (Agozino 2004). Agozino (2004) argued that although we may talk about colonialism being essential for African development, it is quite
