Introduction: in recent years, representatives of criminal law science have begun to express opinions that criminology as a science has lost its dominant role in countering crime. The authors tried to determine whether this is really the case, what is the current state of criminology, what methodological and methodological problems it is experiencing and offered their vision of solving the problems existing in science.
Materials and Methods: the universal dialectical method of cognition was the methodological basis of the article. The authors also applied universal scientific and specific scientific methods of cognition: statistical, historical and legal method, system-structural analysis, analogy, generalization, comparison, differentiation, observation, analytical examination and other research methods.
Results: the analysis of the publication activity of scientists engaged in the study of criminological problems has revealed that criminology has been the subject of comparatively limited research activity in comparison to other criminal law sciences, with the latter category encompassing a considerably larger number of studies. However, the decline in the number of articles, dissertations and monographs on criminology is not the primary cause of the perceived "crisis" in the field of science. The author posits that the state's (represented by the legislator and law enforcement officer) attitude towards criminology and the methodological, methodological and thematic issues within it are the key factors.
Discussion and Conclusions: the authors posit two potential avenues for advancing criminological research and enhancing its societal impact. The first avenue for potential enhancement is the interest of the state in the role of the legislator and law enforcement officer in criminological research. The second avenue for advancement is the development of science through the efforts of criminologists themselves. This encompasses the quality of criminology teaching in universities, the selection and training of graduate students, the determination of their research topics, and the conducting of proactive research on the most relevant and novel criminological problems.
