UGC NET Criminology Syllabus 2025: Download PDF Now!

Having a solid grasp of the UGC NET Criminology Syllabus well ahead of time is of utmost importance as it lays the foundation for the examination. The UGC NET Criminology exam is divided into two papers: Paper I and Paper II. Paper II, in particular, holds significant weight, and having a clear understanding of its detailed UGC NET Criminology syllabus is crucial. By familiarizing oneself with the UGC NET Criminology syllabus, candidates can gain insights into the specific topics and subtopics that will be covered in the exam. This knowledge enables them to structure their preparation plan effectively, allocating adequate time and resources to each section. A thorough understanding of the UGC NET Syllabus for Criminology empowers candidates to focus their efforts on the relevant subject matter, enhancing their chances of success in the examination.

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UGC NET Criminology Syllabus Highlights

Before delving into the details of UGC NET Criminology Syllabus, let us quickly go through the paper pattern and key points about the exam below:

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UGC NET Criminology Syllabus 2025

Below are the units of UGC NET Criminology Syllabus 2025:

• Crime
• Criminology
• Schools of Criminology
• Social Control Theories
• Legal Approaches
• Criminological Research
• Penology
• Development of Various Prison Systems
• Juvenile and Youth Justice
• Historical Development of Victimology

Now, let us go through unit-wise UGC NET Criminology syllabus topics in detail below:

Unit 1: Crime

Crime as a Legal, Social and Psychological Construct; Deviance and Crime; Traditional Crimes: Crimes against Property and Person (Children, Women, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ), Marginalized, Men). Victimless Crimes: Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Beggary, Commercial Sex, Suicide; Family centred Crimes: Dowry, Domestic Violence, Child Abuse; Community Problems: Inter-religion and Intercaste tensions and conflicts. Modern Crimes: Organized Crimes, Economic Crimes, Corruption, Corporate Crimes, Development induced Crime, Environmental Crimes, Hate Crimes, Cyber Crimes and Cyber assisted Crimes. Terrorism and Insurgency; Crime and Politics. Media, Technology and Crime. Transnational Crimes. 

Above are the topics of Unit 1 for UGC NET Criminology Syllabus 2025

Unit 2: Criminology

Definition and Scope; Criminology and other Social Sciences; Criminology vs. Criminal Justice. Structure of Criminal Justice System in India; Role of Legislature and Law making; Coordination among Criminal Justice System. Participation of Victims and Witnesses in the Criminal Justice Process. Crime Prevention: Neighbourhood Involvement, Situational Crime Prevention, Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED), Electronic Monitoring.

Above are the topics covered in Unit 2 for UGC NET Criminology Syllabus 2025

Unit 3: Schools of Criminology

Demonology, Classical, Neo-Classical Schools, Positivist/Positive School, Cartographic School, Biological and Constitutional School - Body Types, Hereditary Traits, Endocrine Glands; Economic Theories of Crime; Multiple Factors. Psycho-Analytical Theories and Psychopathic Personality. Social Strain, Theories: Anomie theory, Culture conflict and Subculture theory. Social Ecology Theories: Concentric Zone theory, Environmental Criminology, Social disorganisation theory, Lower class culture theory. Social Learning Theories: Theory of Imitation, Differential Association Theory, Differential Identification theory, and Differential opportunity theory.

Above are the topics in Unit 3 for UGC NET Criminology Syllabus 2025

Unit 4: Social Control Theories

Drift and Neutralization theory, Containment theory, Social bond theory. Social Conflict Theories: Labelling Theory, Radical Criminology, Conflict Criminology, Critical Criminology, Realist Criminology. Modern Theories: Routine Activities theory, Rational Choice theory, Shaming theory, Broken windows theory, Feminist Criminology, Masculinity theory, Life Course theory, Integrated theories, Space Transition theory. Contemporary Perspectives: Cultural Criminology, Newsmaking Criminology, Peacemaking Criminology, Green Criminology, Visual Criminology, Cyber Criminology, Positive Criminology, Translational Criminology.

Above are the topics covered in Unit 4 for UGC NET Criminology Syllabus 2025

Unit 5: Legal Approaches 

Accusatorial and Inquisitorial; Substantive and Procedural LawsCriminal Liability, Strict Liability; Indian Penal Code-General Exceptions, Offences Against Property; Criminal Procedure Code; Cognizable and Non-Cognizable offences, Bailable and Non-bailable, Compoundable and Non-compoundable offences; Investigation of Crimes; Complaint, F. I. R. Arrest, Search, Seizure, Police Custody, Judicial Remand and Bail; Types of Evidence, Admissibility of Confession, Dying declaration. Human Rights: Fundamental rights, Rights of accused and victims, Rights of persons in custody, Rights of prisoners. Supreme Court Landmark Judgments on Criminal Justice Reforms, The Protection of Human Rights Act, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act - Salient features.

Above are the topics in Unit 5 for UGC NET Criminology Syllabus 2025

Unit 6: Criminological Research

Importance and Types - Descriptive, Analytical, Experimental, Exploratory and Doctrinal. Quantitative vs Qualitative research. Mixed Methods. Main Steps in Criminological Research. Ethics and Confidentiality in Criminal Justice Research. Researcher Fraud and Plagiarism. Crime and Criminal Justice Data. Statistical Applications in Criminological Research. 

Above are the topics of Unit 6 for UGC NET Criminology Syllabus 2025

Unit 7: Penology 

Definition, nature and scope. Punishment-in ancient, medieval and modern times. Punishment: Significance, Concept, Aims and Types. Theories of Punishment. Sentencing – Principles, Policies and Procedures. Capital Punishment. Recent approaches to Punishment – Restorative Justice, Restitution and Victim-offender Mediation. History and evolution of Prison legislations – Prison Manuals and rules. Various Prison Reforms Committees and Commissions. Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (Tokyo Rules) and Nelson Mandela Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

Above are the topics of Unit 7 for UGC NET Criminology Syllabus 2025

Unit 8: Development of Various Prison Systems 

Penitentiary, Pennsylvania, Auburn system. Evolution and development of Prison system in India. Institutional Treatment: Meaning and purpose. Prison Types and Classification of Prisoners. Adult Institutions: Central, District and Sub Jails. Women Institutions: Vigilance Home, Protective home. Open Prisons. Accommodation, food and medical care in prisons. Correctional Programmes – Educational, work and prison panchayats. Community based Corrections: Probation and Admonition: Concept and Scope, Historical development of probation. Probation in India – Probation of offenders Act. Parole: Meaning and Scope. After Care services in India. Current problems and challenges in Correctional Administration.

Above are the topics in Unit 8 for UGC NET Criminology Syllabus 2025

Unit 9: Juvenile and Youth Justice

Definition and Concept. Delinquency. Children in conflict with Law; Children and Vulnerability. Truancy and Vagrancy. Youth Crimes. Main Features of latest Juvenile Justice Act; Institutions: Juvenile Justice Board, Child Welfare Committee, Observation Homes, Juvenile Homes, Special Homes, and ‘fit’ Institutions; Juvenile Aftercare Services. Juvenile Police Unit. UN Documents: United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Juvenile Justice (Beijing Rules) and UN Riyadh Guidelines. Prevention of Delinquency.

Above are the topics covered in Unit 9 for UGC NET Criminology Syllabus 2025

Unit 10: Historical Development of Victimology

Basic Concepts of Victimology. UN Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power, 1985. Victim – Offender relationship. Impact of Victimisation– Physical, Financial and Psychological (including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), (Acute Stress Disorder (ASD), resilience, posttraumatic growth, anger and the way victims are viewed) Impact.Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Victimisation. Role of NGOs in Victim Assistance. Criminological perspectives: Repeat victimisation, routine activities, lifestyle exposure, fear of crime, punitivity and victimisation surveys including cost of crime. Effects of crime on victims. Legal perspectives: Rights of the Crime Victims as per Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and other Laws- Victim Compensation Schemes. Contemporary Developments in Victimology: Mass Victims and Mass Victimisation, Clinical Victimology, Therapeutic Jurisprudence, Cyber Victimology, Positive Victimology.

Above are the topics in Unit 10 for UGC NET Criminology Syllabus 2025

Also Read: UGC NET Paper 2 Syllabus

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UGC NET Criminology Syllabus – Important Topics

Criminology, as a subject of study, delves into the complexities of criminal behavior, its causes, and the systems of justice that address it. For UGC NET Criminology aspirants, a comprehensive understanding of the UGC NET Criminology syllabus 2025 is crucial for success. Below are some of the significant topics you must cover while preparing for the examination:

• Theories of Crime
• Criminal Justice System
• Types of Crimes
• Criminal Law in India
• Juvenile Delinquency
• Victimology
• White-Collar and Corporate Crime
• Forensic Science in Criminology
• Penology and Punishment
• Cybercrimes

Also Read: UGC NET Important Topics

UGC NET Criminology Exam Pattern 2025

It is important for the candidates to know the UGC NET Criminology Exam Pattern before moving ahead with the preparation. Paper I stands common for all the subjects and Paper II will be subject oriented for the candidates. The UGC NET Criminology Exam will consist of a total of 150 questions with a duration of 3 hours. Each question carries a value of 2 marks and adds up to a total of 300 marks. Given below is the UGC NET Exam Pattern for Criminology. Candidates can also download the latest Exam Pattern and UGC NET Criminology Syllabus from this article.

Go through the complete UGC NET Exam Pattern in detail.