This subject offers an introduction to the study of criminology from both international and Australian perspectives. Criminology is the field of social science specifically concerned with criminalisation and the causes of crime, crime prevention and systems of social control and criminal justice administered by the state and directed towards the treatment, rehabilitation and punishment of criminals. It has a strong practical concern with the key components of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement agencies, the courts and correctional systems. It is also concerned with issues of public policy and political decision-making regarding crime and crime control. Criminology also explores relevant ethical and political issues, the representation of crime and deviance within the media and popular culture and society's reaction to crime.