Meaning & use
penologist
Last updated
UK/pɪˈnɒlədʒɪst/
US/pɪˈnɑːlədʒɪst/
Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
A specialist who studies prisons, punishment, and how to manage offenders.
Grammar: Countable noun: a penologist, two penologists.
Patterns
- a penologist studies something
- work as a penologist
The prison reform committee hired a penologist to evaluate the system.
As a penologist, she focuses on rehabilitation rather than just punishment.
The conference brought together penologists from several countries.
Word forms
| plural | penologists |
|---|
Common combinations
- prison penologist
- The prison penologist recommended changes to the daily routine.
- leading penologist
- She is a leading penologist in the field of criminal justice.
- penologist and criminologist
- He works as both a penologist and a criminologist.
Synonyms and how they differ
- criminologist
- Studies crime and criminals more broadly, not just punishment and prisons.
- prison expert
- A general term; less formal and not necessarily academic.
Word family
- penology noun
- The study of punishment and prison management.
- penological adjective
- Relating to penology.
Commonly confused: penologist or criminologist?
penologist vs criminologist
A criminologist studies crime and criminals in general; a penologist focuses on punishment and prisons.
Practice
What does a penologist primarily study?
Choose one answer.
A penologist studies prisons and punishment. The other options are unrelated fields.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “penologist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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