The criminal law and criminology is a branch of public law, and it has general principles and rules governing and closely linked to all aspects of the individual and social life of citizens. This discipline includes various branches of criminal science, including criminal law sciences, empirical criminal science, criminal policy and criminal philosophy. The ever-increasing developments in mans lifestyle, the principles of criminalization, and determination of criminal performance sanctions have made this field as one of the fastest-growing branches of law. The development of empirical criminal sciences (including crime detection, criminology, and psychology and sociology of criminal justice) indicates the specialization of criminal law, which is undoubtedly an indicative of changes taking place in the society, industry, economy and so on. However, what is of paramount importance here concerns the various types of criminal science as realized in the basic concepts of criminology.
Criminal law is divided into two major categories, criminal procedure codes and substantive criminal law. The public criminal law and private criminal law are branches of substantive criminal law. Public criminal law studies the common principles of crime and punishment whereas private criminal law, as a part of substantive criminal law deals with crimes in particular and the governing conditions and likely punishments for them.
Criminal procedure code which comes between crime commitment and entry of judgment refers to the main legislation on crime detection, prosecution, determination of competent authorities, methods of contest of award, and description of responsibilities of law enforcement and judicial officials during criminal procedure and the rights of the accused.
Significance
The ever-growing need of the universities and administrative bodies for competent lawyers in the field of criminal law and criminology on one hand and the necessity of improving the technical knowledge of lawyers who are involved in judiciary system or counselling agencies of Iran reveals the significant role this field of study plays. The promotion of criminal law according to the needs of the country, reforming the basics of penal provisions in accordance with the fourth article of the Constitution and the objectives of cultural development programs are one of the main missions of this program. After several decades of a formal criminal system in Iran, it should be acknowledged that the quality and quantity of knowledge and information available in the country for scientific management of these institutions in the 21st century are not adequate; criminal laws and regulations have not been updated in accordance with the contemporary social, economic or cultural developments. Part of the executive and specialized missions of criminal justice institutions are based on personal experiences, with no regard for scientific data or the results of empirical and legal research. Due to the unscientific design, implementation and evaluation of criminal law developments, the effectiveness of criminal investigations aimed at controlling crime is not precisely known.
The importance of criminal law and criminology as an academic discipline, as well as the use of scientific analyses for the better understanding of criminal justice institutions, criminal procedures, and the assessment of the effectiveness of criminal justice policies and programs, should be investigated in line with such needs. The theoretical and academic foundations of this field provide opportunities for obtaining expertise for the staff of criminal justice institutions, including police, social service units, public prosecutors, courts, enforcement departments, and other lawrelated agencies.
Objectives
- Familiarity with the theoretical and philosophical foundations of criminal law in Iran and the basic questions regarding the role and duties of criminal justice institutions and their interrelationships
- Training of professionals for ministries and organizations related to criminal law, (in particular police, prosecutors office, court, prisons, enforcement departments, etc.) and the administration of criminal justice institutions
- Enhancing the quantitative and qualitative level of legal services in the field of criminal justice and improving the quality of peoples access (especially vulnerable and deprived people) to criminal justice
- Increasing the skill and ability of managers and employees of criminal justice institutions to identify the basic challenges and problems of criminal justice and how to deal with them
- Strengthening the innovation and creativity spirit and promoting research-oriented approaches in criminal lawyers and criminologists so that they can design and present Iranian-Islamic models for the criminal system
- Acquisition of skills in evaluating the results of criminal justice interventions and offering knowledge and information about the effectiveness of each of these interventions
- Understanding the weaknesses and gaps of the criminal statistics system and how to set up statistical and information infrastructures in criminal law systems
Graduates Role and Competence
- After deep understanding of the goals and philosophy of their major, graduates of criminal law and criminology, have the skills and ability to work in each of the following criminal justice institutions (police stations, public prosecutor offices, criminal courts, prisons, execution of judgments, etc.) and legal departments of ministries and government agencies and the private sector.
- After learning the method of research and getting deep familiarity with the application of scientific research in the field of criminal law and criminology, graduates of this field have the necessary skills in the field of how to conduct legal research and apply the findings of research in formulating strategies, policies and programs in the field of criminal law
- Being familiar with the principles of criminal law, graduates will have the ability to understand and interpret criminal law and how to implement it fairly
- Being aware of the achievements of comparative criminal law studies, graduates will obtain the skill and ability to take advantage of other legal experience in the study of the domestic criminal system
Level and Duration
Criminal law and criminology programs are offered at master and postgraduate (doctoral) levels. The Masters Degree Program in Criminal law and Criminology for full-time students lasts for two years (four terms each 16 weeks long). The duration of the Ph.D. program in criminal justice and criminology for full-time students is four years (equivalent to eight terms each a total of 16 weeks). In case of need, one term extension can be granted by the faculty.