The Institute of Criminology is the criminological research institute within the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge. The Institute is one of the oldest criminological research institutes in Europe, and has exerted a strong influence on the development of criminology. Its multidisciplinary teaching and research staff are recruited from the disciplines of law, psychiatry, psychology, and sociology. It is located on the Sidgwick Site in the west of Cambridge, England. The Institute of Criminology building was designed by Allies and Morrison. The Institute is also home to the Radzinowicz Library, which houses the most comprehensive criminology collection in the United Kingdom. The Institute has approximately 50 PhD students, 30-40 M.Phil. students, and 200 M.St students. The Institute also offers courses to Cambridge undergraduates, particularly in law, but also in human social and political sciences and in psychology and behavioural sciences.

History

During World War II, Sir Leon Radzinowicz established the Department of Criminal Science in the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge. In 1959, as the field of criminology was met with increasing interest and success, Sir Leon Radzinowicz founded the Institute of Criminology with the support of a benefaction from the Wolfson Foundation and the Howard League for Penal Reform.

Research centres

The Institute publishes the Cambridge Crime Harm Index (CCHI), which is the first system that measures the seriousness of crime harm to victims.

Academic courses

The Institute offers a number of different courses, including:

Notable people