Current comparative criminology regards crime, the investigation into its causes, and its control as elements in a society, and it compares them and the various societies. Crime and its examination and control are viewed as phenomena that develop within social, economic, and political structures. Comparative criminology compares the extent, character, stage of development, and distribution of crime in a society; the attitudes of the public toward crime; and the ways in which social control was exercised within different historical periods of the same society. It also explores the objective and subjective safety situations as well as the social control mechanisms of two distinct societies and compares them with each other. A review of the research findings of comparative criminology focuses on the importance of the social structure and social control; crime trends, crime structures, and crime control in the world; crime in developing countries; the development of society and crime; and developed industrial countries with low crime rates. One section of the essay discusses the "criminology of liberation" in Latin America. The term "criminology of liberation" stems from the philosophy of liberation and the theology of liberation developed in some Latin American countries during the 1970's. It opposes the traditional established clinical criminology. It shows sympathy for deviant fringe groups and doubts the existence of a moral basis for punishment by demanding that punishment through the state be restricted. An overview of the characteristics of social structures in countries with low crime rates focuses on informal social control by social groups, close-knit communities, and highly respected criminal justice systems. 70 references