Many people had the ambition of becoming a detective or investigator when they were young. While some of them gave up their ambition as they approach adulthood, others remain determined to make their dream come true. If you are one of those who are interested in solving criminal cases, you should consider pursuing a career in criminal psychology. Such a career is very exciting and rewarding, and it offers a great opportunity for you to bring justice to innocent and unfortunate people. .

Criminal psychologists are also known as forensic psychologists, and they specialize in using psychological knowledge to solve criminal and civil legal issues. They provide assistance in a wide range of legal matters, including evaluation of the mental states of criminal defendants, child custody, family law, selection of jury, prediction of the risk of violence, civil damages, discrimination, social science research, and others. Criminal psychologists can serve in the public or private sector, as well as educational institutions.

Criminal psychologists are actually psychological scientists. Since they have to investigate criminal cases, they need to possess outstanding detective skills. Also, they must have the necessary researching and critical thinking skills to collect, compare, and evaluate data. It is also important for them to have good writing skills, because they need to write convincing and scientifically sound reports and court testimonies that can withstand scrutiny in the courtroom. Other important skills that criminal psychologists must possess include profound knowledge in scientific theory and research, extensive legal knowledge, familiarity with cultural and social issues, excellent oral presentation skills, and others.

Presently, there is no standard educational requirement for becoming a criminal psychologist. The most common way to gain qualification for a career in criminal psychology is to obtain a doctorate degree in the field of clinical psychology and a postdoctoral forensics specialization. However, an increasing number of graduate schools are starting to offer doctorate degrees in forensic psychology. There are also institutions that offer Master’s degree in forensic psychology, but it is unsure how competent a Master’s degree holder will be in a field that is dominated by professionals with doctorate degrees. Only a few institutions provide specialized postdoctoral degree in forensics psychology, and they only accept a very limited number of students every year. Such a degree is only necessary if you wish to become a future leader in the field. After meeting all the educational requirements, you have to pass a state certification exam to obtain a license.

A career in criminal psychology is not only interesting and fulfilling; it is also financially rewarding. The salaries of criminal psychologists vary greatly, depending on which organization you work for and which state you are in. If you work for a private firm or the state or local government, you can expect to get a higher salary. The federal government and non-profit organizations tend to offer lower salaries. Presently, the average annual salary of criminal psychologists is about $62,000. After you have worked in the field for more than 20 years, you can earn as much as $86,000 a year.