Legal Studies in Digital Age In Press 2027 03 01 Rethinking Cultural Criminology and Its Application to Crime Prevention in Multiethnic Societies Rethinking Cultural Criminology and Its Application to Crime Prevention in Multiethnic Societies 1 11 EN Journal Article 2026 04 07 <p>Cultural criminology, as a contemporary approach to the study of crime, emphasizes the role of meanings, symbols, and cultural contexts in the formation of criminal behavior and societal responses to it. By critiquing purely technical and situational approaches, it reconceptualizes preventive strategies within the framework of social safety. This study aimed to reconsider the theoretical foundations of cultural criminology and examine its application to crime prevention in the multiethnic societies of Iran and Afghanistan. The research employed a comparative descriptive-analytical method. The findings indicate that, despite the cultural and religious commonalities between the two countries, significant structural differences exist in their legal systems and criminal policies. In Iran, the legal system, which is grounded in Imami Shiʿi jurisprudence and adopts an affirmative approach toward Sharia, has contributed to centralization and cultural homogenization. In Afghanistan, by contrast, the Constitution, through its restrictive approach toward Sharia and its reference to Hanafi jurisprudence, has provided greater scope for flexibility and accommodation of tribal customs. In the field of crime prevention, both countries face serious challenges: Iran confronts tensions between centralized criminal policy and cultural pluralism, whereas Afghanistan faces fragmentation in law enforcement arising from normative pluralism. Moreover, the substantial presence of the Afghan migrant population in Iran further reinforces the need to reconsider existing preventive approaches. Ultimately, the effective application of cultural criminology in both countries requires a transition from predominantly punitive approaches toward an approach based on social safety, multicultural sensitivity, the strengthening of informal social control, and the utilization of the capacities of religious institutions and customary dispute-resolution systems.</p> https://jlsda.com/index.php/lsda/article/download/511/433