A Criminological Approach to the COVID-۱۹ Pandemic with a Comparative Perspective Based on Iran’s and World’s Data

The present research explores some of the most significant aspects of COVID-۱۹ outbreak from the perspective of criminology and from a comparative viewpoint between Iran’s and world’s Data. Describing the current pandemic as deviance is one aspect of this approach upon which an argument arises for explaining the COVID-۱۹ outbreak as deviance from a criminological approach. The criminal effects of COVID-۱۹ is another part of discussion through which relationships between the pandemic and crime rates, and some of types of crimes, including economic crime and domestic violence are examined. The findings show that overall, crime rates have fluctuated in the advent of COVID-۱۹, and while the current pandemic has caused an increase in some types of crimes, but yet, it entails a reduction in many types of crime. Finally, the article concludes that the current pandemic has different impacts on criminality according to the assumption that ‘disease’ alongside ‘crime’ endanger the human health as a whole. Therefore, the main question is how humanity could preserve their physical health from dangers of COVID, and their mental health from risks and unpleasant effects of criminality, particularly fear of crime and moral panic?