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Criminology is a critical examination of the definitions, concepts, theories, and methods sociologists use to explain adult crime and juvenile delinquency. Such a study requires reviewing the major perspectives scientists employ, determining the character and extent of crime and delinquency in history and throughout the social structure, and exploring the institutional response and societal reaction to activities and statuses defined as criminal. As it is the mechanism through which the powerful establish the rules, deploy the rule enforcers, and manage public perceptions, the machinery of social control and its attendant ideologies receive considerable attention.