Criminology and human rights

In 1970 Schwendiger and Schwendiger (1970) published a call to criminologists to become guardians of human rights. Yet, we have had to wait until the 21st century to observe more influence and application of human rights in criminology and criminal justice. On one hand, human rights can offer a leveller of cosmopolitan values that help criminologists to see harm beyond state-defined criminality and improve the comparison of criminal justice systems and processes. On the other hand, criminology has a lot to offer to human rights understanding and constructive criticism, in a globalised society. Indeed, the chapter argues that human rights frameworks need the unique criminological gaze for a critical and constructive appraisal at operational level.