Are you excited about law enforcement, fighting crime, and ensuring that society has a structured social system that prevents dangerous crime and ensures security? Well, a criminology course is just what you need.
In this program, you’ll cover various exciting topics such as span across research on crime and its effect on society. Besides, opening up a plethora of career opportunities, you’ll be able to improve communities and social cultures as well as make the world a better place. Read on for more details about the course, possible career paths, and specialization.
Criminology is the scientific study of crime. It is a multidisciplinary social science that focuses on crimes and criminal behavior. It covers a range of fields, including forensics, psychology, sociology, and law.
Students learn various aspects of social and psychological perspectives that contribute to crimes. Moreover, they conduct research and evaluate existing approaches to crime as a social problem.
Generally, in most universities, criminology programs are offered within a criminal justice program. Find the best universities for criminology degrees here.
Applicants are required to have a high school certificate. Moreover, a strong background in the humanities, such as psychology and sociology, may be an added advantage. Generally, eligibility into a criminology program differs depending on the region and the university you’re interested in.
Additionally, a comprehensive knowledge of mathematical, statistical, and computer science may be a necessary requirement in this field. This is because the study involves interpreting statistical or numerical data for research purposes to determine the social phenomenon behind crimes.
Criminology provides students with various options for specialization. Typically, the first and second school years of study focus on equipping students with a general overview and foundation of the program. Later, students can pursue specific areas within the field.
Below is a list of topics that you’re most likely going to come across:
Here are some specializations:
Contemporary criminology theory
This course focuses on providing students with a detailed analysis of modern criminology theories. Students explore a range of topics from restorative justice and gender-driven approaches. Other topics may include environmental criminology and critical criminology.
Advanced Analysis of criminal justice
This program focuses on the identification of offenders and the legal processes they go through from the moment of arrest to the period they spend in correctional facilities. It provides students with knowledge concerning the ethical and just way to treat offenders, court processes, and the amount of time a penalty should be imposed.
Juvenile Justice
This program focuses on educating students about the legal liability for persons who are underage but have committed crimes. This specialization provides students with in-depth knowledge about the differences between the juvenile justice system and the adult system. Topics covered in this program include juvenile behavior and rates of youth violence and involvement.
Mental health and crime
This course concentrates on providing an in-depth analysis of the correlation between mental illness and crime. Here students understand what constitutes the legal process and justice for a person who is not of a sane mind. The specialization considers the mental health system and what contributes to mentally ill offenders in the justice system. Students also get to know the difficulties involved in treating dangerous offenders and the role of incompetent workers in limiting the effectiveness in the treatment of mental illness.
Drugs, addiction, and crime
In this program, students analyze the relationships existing between crimes, drugs, and addiction. It explores drug policies from different perspectives such as enforcement, prosecution, and sentencing of drug crime offenders. Students obtain knowledge on why people abuse drugs and how this leads to criminal activity or behavior as well as drug policies and their impacts on the criminal justice system.
Evaluating criminal justice interventions
In this program, students assess the effectiveness of crime prevention programs as well as criminal rehabilitation programs. Students obtain knowledge of the ethical requirements, efficiency, and performance of the justice system through research methods.
Criminology majors can venture into various rewarding career paths. Some of the criminology jobs graduates can venture into include:
1. Criminology professors
Criminology professors often work in universities where they do a lot of research on social behaviors and as well teach police administration and policy, juvenile justice, corrections, drug criminology, and other associated topics.
2. Criminologist
Criminologists are responsible for studying the nature and causes of crime and the offenders who commit them. They evaluate the social and biological backgrounds of offenders to determine the typical mannerisms to help law enforcement to understand criminal behavior and inhibit future crimes.
3. Law enforcement officer
Law enforcement officers are responsible for enforcing the law, protecting citizens and arresting criminals. In law enforcement, you can work as a police officer, game warden, sheriffs, criminal, immigration officers, special investigators, prison wardens, border patrol officers, and customs officers.
4. Police detective
Detectives are criminal investigators who are responsible for investigating crime, collecting and securing evidence from crime scenes, monitoring suspicious behavior, obtaining warrants and arresting suspects, writing reports on cases as well as preparing cases or in some instances testifying in court.
5. Probation officer
These professionals work with offenders and monitor them to prevent a relapse of criminal activity. Usually, probation officers work under instructions given by the court to ensure criminals fulfill the requirements of their probation. They also do background checks on offenders to understand the psychological, social, and biological factors that contribute to criminal activities.
6. Private investigators
Private investigators find facts and assess information on legal, financial, and personal matters. They verify people’s backgrounds, find missing persons, investigate computer crimes, testify in court.
7. Juvenile justice staff
Juvenile justice staff members are responsible for ensuring the security of facilities that incarcerate minors by implementing rules and maintaining order. They supervise youths in the society that are involved with the justice system, assesses and provides recommendations and reports to courts and releasing authorities about minors involved in offending behavior.
8. Forensic psychologists
Forensic psychologists study criminals and crimes to establish the correlations between crimes committed and behaviors of perpetrators. Usually, they assess the psychological stability of prisoners, offenders, and other professionals working in the judicial and penal systems as well as the victims of crime. Moreover, they provide research-based evidence to generate effective policies and working practices as well as giving evidence in court and making recommendations to parole health tribunals.
9. Forensic science technician
Forensic science technicians are responsible for conducting investigations on crimes. They gather and assess physical evidence. These professionals can work as crime scene investigators or laboratory analysts.
10. Insurance fraud specialist
These professionals are responsible for investigating the claims from insurance holders to ensure that they are legitimate. They investigate cases of arson, analyze falsified workers’ disability claims, implement surveillance, and attempt to apprehend people suspected of fraud.
11. Security specialist
Security specialists are responsible for protecting systems, controlling structures, and resources. They identify problems, report violations, execute security advancements, assess the current system, evaluate trends, and forecast requirements.
12. Loss prevention specialist
These professionals are responsible for ensuring that company merchandise does not get lost or stolen. They work at entrances of organizations and greet clients as they enter as well as verifying clients’ receipts against items purchased. They also walk around the aisles of stores checking for suspicious behaviors.
13. Paralegals
Paralegals are law experts who provide support to lawyers. Some of their duties include carrying out office administration, analyzing and inputting data, organizing case files, attending court proceedings, networking with clients, writing reports, conducting legal research, taking statements from witnesses, and attending meetings.
14. Criminal profiler
Criminal profilers are responsible for visiting and assessing crime scenes as well as evidence, create psychological profiles, testify in court, evaluate human behavior and traits, among others. These professionals usually work with law enforcement agencies and local police officers on cases that require expert help and may take the role of lead investigators. Generally, the goal of their role is to develop a psychological portrait of the offender.
15. Jury consultant
Jury consultants play an integral role in the pretrial stage of legal processes, especially of high profile cases. They are responsible for researching the jurors’ backgrounds, creating profiles, assisting with jury selection, conducts a mock trial or pretrial research, and so on. Moreover, during the trial, they contribute to shaping the jurors’ perception.
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