8 Reasons to Study Criminology

Crime and civilization co-exist, especially where there is inequality of wealth. So this topic is a global concern on a local and international scale. The academic study of crime has existed for a very long time, exploring the reasons for crime and ways to prevent it. The study of crime generally refers to criminology, encompassing everything that leads to the crime. So overall, it’s a quite versatile field that deals with the criminal mindset, psychology, and the environmental factors that altogether contributed to or led to the crime. 

Criminology is a vast field that offers plenty of options for specialization, such as victimology, criminalists, and understanding the criminal justice system. Anyone who has a love for solving mysteries and is intrigued to know why people commit crimes will find criminology to be a quite fulfilling field. In fact, contrary to popular belief, criminology doesn’t only focus on the criminal’s psychology and mindset that makes them do the crime. Rather it also investigates the underlying factors that are the root cause of such mentality. 

A criminologist’s job also entails uncovering the societal stigmas and social influences that urge a normal human being to become a criminal. Criminology’s ultimate goal is to understand the causes of criminal behavior and devise humane and effective prevention methods. Now that we have explained the true criminology meaning let’s take a look at some good reasons why one should study it:

Learn something new every day

Criminals are constantly finding new ways to commit crimes, resulting in the discipline gradually finding ways to maintain peace. A criminal justice program with many research areas can be exciting and challenging. Course topics include Crime and Culture, Delinquency in Children, the criminal justice system, Law Enforcement, Victimology, and more. You can also enjoy learning while having fun in forensic laboratories.

Changing perspectives

Crime is often regarded as an entirely evil act. Since most media coverage has been negative, the subject can sometimes be intimidating. Criminology aims to see through the “good vs. evil” status quo and objectively examine crime and crime-committed individuals.

The study of criminal psychology has shed light on the deep-seated reasons why some people decide to break the law, exploring the economic, social, and psychological influences on their choices. In addition to teaching re-education and rehabilitation methods to offenders, criminology also studies rehabilitation and reintegration. In contrast to the one-sided media coverage, this adds more context and understanding to the issue.

A variety of career paths

In criminology, as well as anywhere else, variety makes life interesting! It is possible to spend all your time researching one area of crime, such as cybercrime, if you are interested in it. However, if your interests are more evenly spread, you might be able to develop some very specific research projects with others.

Depending on the student’s expertise, a criminology student can work in different fields after graduation. A criminologist can work in various areas, including, but not limited to, police work and law enforcement. Some of them are:

• Policing, corrections, and law enforcement
• Private, criminal, and forensic investigations
• Academics
• Regional or community planning
• Researcher or analyst of government policy
• Immigration officer, foreign service worker
• Consultancy firms
• Programs for victims, witnesses, youth, and families
• Risk management and public administration
• Organizations and agencies involved in international development

The Opportunity to Study Overseas

The opportunity to study abroad will also be available to you if you choose to study this discipline. Students can study this at some universities to expand their knowledge of a specific crime in that country. While living there, you can also learn about the country’s juvenile and criminal justice systems.

Contribute to Society’s Safety

A criminologist can positively impact the world by taking on opinions in the media. The other way is more direct – through research.

When working on their latest work, criminal scientists often collaborate with local law enforcement, prisons, security companies, and social programs to ensure their findings are as helpful as possible to those using them to combat crime. As a result, your work has the potential to benefit residents directly.

The role of criminologists in maintaining peace and order is crucial. A criminology program provides the community with valuable information about how crimes work, what criminals do, how juvenile education can be improved, and crime prevention and rehabilitation programs.

Dynamic Field

A fundamental truth of crime is that it’s constantly changing. It’s not uncommon for criminals to devise new ways to break the law, which is why anyone tasked with preventing crime must adapt to them. Consequently, the study of crime is always changing, offering new avenues for research and analysis. For criminologists, this opens up a new world of possibilities and avenues to explore. Can you think of any other career that can provide you with an experience like that?

You Can Choose What to Learn.

Having the freedom to select your own pace and curriculum is something that every student desires, which is what criminology offers you. There is a wide variety of criminology-related modules to choose from. Psychology, economics, sociology, mathematics, and history are often overlapped with them. Therefore, depending on your interests, you can select modules in law enforcement, criminal justice, and research policy, for example.

Practicing Criminology is Both Exciting and Well-Paying

Understanding criminals and what makes them commit heinous, shocking, or immoral acts are boring. Criminologists need knowledge from other disciplines, like Psychology, Biology, Anthropology, and Sociology, to do this work.

Criminal scientists with excellent research skills often serve as consultants and advisors to governments and local authorities, helping them to adopt laws and policies that reduce crime and protect vulnerable citizens.

Check out some Criminology jobs that are currently in demand. The following data shows the average US salaries:

• A public policy analyst makes 59,300 USD annually
• Investigator – 66,300 USD a year
• A social worker earns 48,600 USD per year
• The salary for a probation officer is 44,400 USD a year
• An expert in forensic psychology earns 72,370 USD per year

Final Words

To sum it all up, criminology is an interesting field with room for growth. It also has a great job outlook. Therefore, if you have a knack for investigating and love to study the human psyche, this field might be the one for you.