Criminologist jobs

Criminologists that work with law enforcement take criminals' circumstances and motivations, as well as social consequences, generational shifts, and other trends, into careful consideration while conducting their investigations. They also investigate the reasons behind why individuals commit crimes, tapping into the realm of ethics.

Both the research and the data are utilized by criminologists to influence their judgments with the law in mind, and they use both to make knowledgeable recommendations to local and state authorities. At their heart, criminologists are laser-focused on obtaining and evaluating research and data.

According to Estrada, who is also employed as a criminal intelligence analyst in the city of El Paso, Texas, there are primarily two ways to approach the study of criminology:

The events that have already taken place are the focus of a reactive strategy, which seeks to compile information, gain insight, and determine what went wrong and why.

An strategy that is preventive makes use of predictive analysis to analyze crime trends and cycles as well as other probable behaviors that might assist detect future criminal activity.

What Kinds of Jobs Are Available in the Criminal Justice System for People Who Have a Degree in Criminology?

If you get a bachelor's degree in criminology, starting or furthering your job in the criminal justice system may seem like an obvious choice to choose. In many criminology classes, topics such as public policy, data-based police techniques, crime prevention, intervention, and forecasting are discussed.

You have several options within the field of criminal justice, depending on your prior experience and areas of interest, including the following:

Crime Scene Investigator

According to Estrada, crime scene investigation is a fantastic job to explore if you are interested in forensic science, which is "more the chemistry, the biology of a crime." Crime scene investigation has been brought to the forefront of public attention by decades of popular TV crime dramas.

A crime scene investigator (CSI), who is also called a forensic science technician at times, is the person who is in charge of gathering, recording, and analyzing the evidence and DNA that is discovered at crime scenes. According to the data provided by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the yearly salary for crime scene investigators is a median of $59,150, and the need for these professionals is expected to increase by 14 percent by the year 2029. (BLS).

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), if you are interested in becoming a crime scene investigator but are unsure how to do so, the majority of municipal and state governments search for applicants with a bachelor's degree and foundations in chemistry, biology, or forensic science. You may also anticipate receiving training while on the job, which may then lead to further specialization in areas such as DNA analysis or toxicology in order to assist in the solving of crimes.

Criminal Investigator

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), criminal investigators are employed by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to react to violent crimes such assaults, robberies, and killings. Assisting crime scene investigators in the collection of information and evidence from crime scenes, watching and apprehending suspects, and producing thorough reports and cases for use in legal procedures are some of the activities that fall within their purview.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2019, professionals in this job had a median salary of $65,170. The need for criminal investigators is predicted to expand by 5 percent by the year 2029.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in order to become an investigator, you may first need to complete training at an academy and get experience working as a law enforcement officer. Those who work in the field of criminal investigation may enhance their careers by earning a bachelor's degree.

Officer of the Courts and Prisons

You may increase your chances of finding work in the prison system by earning a degree in criminology or a certificate from an educational program that focuses on criminal justice. If you get into this line of work, one of the things you can find yourself doing is aiding in the rehabilitation of criminals who are housed in prisons or who are out on parole or probation.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), if you want to work in the corrections industry, perhaps as a case manager or parole officer, you will need strong communication skills to interview and evaluate offenders, create a rehabilitation plan and support them while they are going through it, and occasionally testify in court as well.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), persons working in this field made a median salary of $54,290 in 2019, while the need for probation officers and correctional treatment experts is predicted to increase by 4 percent over the course of this decade.

Analyst of Criminal Intelligence (CI)

Analysts of criminal intelligence are tasked with the responsibility of utilizing data to monitor trends and stop criminal activity. According to O*NET OnLine, this is a vocation that requires a significant amount of study and involves using information collected in a variety of databases and other types of systems. If you do wind up following this line of work, you can expect to spend the majority of your time compiling intelligence by first gathering data, then evaluating it, and then presenting what you've discovered.

According to O*NET, criminal intelligence analysts in the United States made a median salary of $83,170 in 2019 and had a median educational level of a bachelor's degree in virtually all cases in 2019.

According to Estrada, in order to receive a security clearance, you may need to get a job in the criminology field since so many of those jobs include managing confidential information. This is particularly true if you work for a government organization. Estrada had to upgrade to a top-secret clearance in order to fulfill the requirements for her recent promotion to the position of criminal intelligence analyst.