Criminology in Africa

Both crime and criminal activities and the organized official approach to counteracting these phenomena are of major concern in the world today. The international nature of crime and criminal activities requires corresponding action both in terms of national, as well as international cooperation and research activities represent an important contribution to the analysis, policy formulation and evaluation. In view of this, it is important to appreciate the potential of criminological thinking and research for the development of appropriate social and criminal policy, not only within national boundaries, but at the regional and interregional levels. Within the context of criminology in developing world, account must be taken of the relationship between development and crime. All those involved in criminal justice and socio-economic development are increasingly concerned with the crime-generating influences of development, and for crime prevention/controlling industries and costs, themselves influencing allocation of limited developmental resources and energies. New developmental and criminal justice strategies are needed as well as further development of criminology united with, rather than divorced from, issued of social structure and social change. In many countries crime rates have grown to such an extent and have reached such proportions that they indicate the presence of a serious threat to sustainable development. The costs of crime in terms of the formulation and implementation of prevention and control policies and the processing of offenders through the criminal justice system place a very heavy strain on fragile economies, while the alarming growth in the phenomenon of juvenile and young adult crime denies nations the manpower necessary to achieve economic and developmental goals.