Like criminology, penology may also be approached from various points of view, each giving rise to a particular kind of penology. These may be called Administrative Penology, Scientific Penology, Academic Penology and Analytical Penology.
(1) Administrative Penology can also be called applied penology because it represents different penological systems in force in different countries. Its predominant feature is implementation of governmental penal policies and institutional treatment of offenders. Its prime functions are custody, security and control. It addresses itself to the solution of penological problems.
(2) Scientific penology attempts to solve the problems arising in treatment of offenders under the aegis of specialists, particularly from the medico-psychological point of view. Its principal concern is to probe into the personality of offenders and not the offences. Criminal penology, undoubtedly is a part of scientific penology. It is based on the conception that there is always a determinable relationship between cause and effect.
(3) Academic penology is mainly descriptive in character, its main purpose being dissemination of penological knowledge through intensive teaching and research. It concerns itself with theoretical knowledge of penology.
(4) Analytical penology aims at ascertaining as objectively as possible, the adequacy of existing penal policies and methods and suggest measures for improving the system. Thus, it makes a critical analysis of penal measures and offers solutions for efficient administration of penal justice.
Analytical penology is based on a broader reality and treats crime and criminals as social phenomenon. It needs the assistance of scientific penology to perform its functions by careful interpretation, comparison of relevant data and observation of the functioning of the existing machinery of criminal justice and penological system in an objective manner.
The main task of analytical penology is to examine and evaluate the socio-economic and political values, among which human rights play the most important role and the corresponding criminal policy of which penological policy is a part.
It must be stated that though these different kinds of penologies are intended to pursue different purposes, they are all directed to meet a common goal, namely, treatment of offenders through modern improvised scientific methods.
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