what is one difference between criminological theories and other social science theories?
Sociology is the study of human social behavior and human association and results of social activity (study of group interaction, culture, etc. and all that they entail). Criminology is the study of crime as an individual and social phenomenon and is often viewed in context of social institutions.
Positivist school (criminology) In criminology, the Positivist School has attempted to find scientific objectivity for the measurement and quantification of criminal behavior. As the scientific method became the major paradigm in the search for knowledge, the Classical School's social philosophy was replaced by the quest for scientific laws that would be discovered by experts. It is divided into Biological, Psychological and Social.