Criminology as Trends in the Development of Science

Criminology has a special place and is of special significance in law science. It does not always examine substantive or procedural rules and case law. The authors of the article emphasise criminology as a science of social law, the dominant object of cognition of which is socially significant phenomena (crime, drugs, corruption, prostitution, etc.), as well as the processes related to their combating and prevention. Crime is the product of various contradictions that evolve in society, a negatively directed function of society that reflects its resulting state of moral and social “health”. Dynamic social, economic, political, legal, administrative, organisational and other factors determine the constant cognition of socially undesirable and negative phenomena, improvement of research tools and approaches. Crime is transforming alongside social changes, in some cases even accelerating them. Despite the unjustified discounting of the significance of criminology as an independent science, it continues to develop. In the social science system criminology functions as a mission, creating an uncompromising attitude towards crime. Under the current circumstances and in line with the intense invasion of modern technologies crime is taking on new forms and shapes. It successfully moves to the virtual environment, increasing its latency level and significantly complicating the magnitude and negative effects of damage detection. A new modified field of cognition of crime and its related elements a arising – digital criminology. It could play an important role in the qualitative analysis and forecasting of crime, in identifying the determinants of crime, and in determining their impact on crime. Digital methods of examination of persons, including the use of positron emission tomography (PET) of brain scanning, would make it possible to identify persons with pronounced criminal inclinations. Digital technologies could be used in correctional institutions and establishments to help those who have served prison sentences related to deprivation of liberty, in their rehabilitation, as well as in the implementation of virtual deprivation of liberty and replacing of expensive and inefficient prisons with digital detention facilities.