THE BACKGROUND OF CRIMINOLOGY AS A CONCEPT AND AS A SPECIALIZED FIELD OF STUDY BOTH INTERNATIONALLY AND IN INDIA IS TRACED BRIEFLY. THE FIELD OF CRIMINOLOGY IS BROKEN DOWN INTO FOUR AREAS: CRIME CAUSATION, CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, AND ETIOLOGY: CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND CRIMINAL LAW; EFFECTS OF CRIME ON SOCIETY AND SOCIETAL REACTIONS TO CRIME; AND CRIME PREVENTION. THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF VARIOUS DISCIPLINES AND PROFESSIONS TO THE FIELD ARE NOTED. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND INSTRUCTION IN CRIMINOLOGY IS DISCUSSED, WITH REFERENCE TO THE NEED FOR DEPARTMENTS OR INSTITUTES OF CRIMINOLOGY IN UNIVERSITIES. THE BASIC FUNCTION OF CRIMINOLOGY DEPARTMENTS WOULD BE TO PERFORM FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH, ALTHOUGH APPLIED RESEARCH IN THE AREAS OF CRIMINAL LAW, POLICE SCIENCE, CORRECTIONS AND CRIME CONTROL WOULD ALSO BE SUGGESTED. IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT IF CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH IS TO HAVE A FUTURE IN INDIA THE BASIC INTEGRITY AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY CHARACTER OF CRIMINOLOGY AS A RESEARCH FIELD MUST BE RECOGNIZED. THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT IS URGED TO SUPPORT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CRIMINOLOGY DEPARTMENTS IN PROGRESSIVE UNIVERSITIES SO THAT CRIMINOLOGY NEED NO LONGER BE SUBORDINATED TO OTHER, MORE ESTABLISHED DISCIPLINES AND PROFESSIONS. (LKM)