Cesare Lombroso, an Italian physician and criminologist (1835–1909), is widely regarded as the “father of criminology,” more specifically the father of modern criminology.

Quick Scoop: The Father of Criminology

  • The person most textbooks and exams point to as the father of criminology is Cesare Lombroso.
  • He worked in the late 19th century and argued that criminals were “born” with certain physical traits that supposedly marked them out from non‑criminals.
  • Because he tried to study crime using observation, measurement, and data, he is often called the father of modern criminology, even though many of his ideas are now rejected.

A tiny bit of context (for curiosity)

Lombroso became famous after publishing his major work in 1876, where he outlined his theory of the “born criminal” and helped shift criminology toward a more “scientific” approach. Today, his biological determinism and links to racist and pseudoscientific thinking are heavily criticized, but his role in launching criminology as a distinct field of study is why he still carries that title.

TL;DR: When people ask “who is the father of criminology,” the standard answer is Cesare Lombroso.

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