Yes, you can! Criminal psychologists do the work that true crime experts love to explore daily. Their job isn’t always as fabulous as recording a podcast and not as exciting as Clarice Starling’s. Still, it is helping people understand what motivates someone to commit theft, burglary, or murder.

What does a Criminal Psychologist Do?Job RequirementsSalarySchools for Criminal Psychology DegreesCompanies That Hire Criminal PsychologistsInterviews with a Criminal PsychologistFamous Criminal PsychologistsCriminal Psychology Examples

What does a Criminal Psychologist Do?

Job Requirements

Salary

Schools for Criminal Psychology Degrees

Companies That Hire Criminal Psychologists

Interviews with a Criminal Psychologist

Famous Criminal Psychologists

Criminal Psychology Examples

A criminal psychologist works directly with people who commit crimes to understand the motives and reasoning behind this behavior. Unlike a forensic psychologist, a criminal psychologist works with everything that happens when a person commits a crime. Forensic psychologists deal with the aftermath of criminal behavior.

This means, for example, that a criminal psychologist may study certain neighborhoods with a high level of crime and try to pinpoint certain events, common traits, or other factors that may lead to a higher level of crime.Forensic psychologistsmay work with incarcerated people after being convicted of a crime to help them transition back into that neighborhood and not commit further crimes.

Criminal psychologists may use their skills gained through study and early experience to become criminal profilers, also known as criminal investigative analysts.

Criminal psychologists may start their career working in the criminal justice system, but they may also enter this specialty after time as clinical psychologists. Either way, this position typically requires a doctorate, licensure, internships, and other requirements that psychologists must meet before they enter their practice.

Do criminal psychologists make good money? They can! Not everyone is jumping at working with criminals directly and understanding why people commit crimes. This high demand increases the salary offered to psychologists with this specialization. The following chart gives different ranges of salaries offered to criminal psychologists in the United States:

Criminal Psychologist Reported SalaryLowAverageHighPayscale.com$30,000$61,000$101,000ZipRecruiter$22,000$80,610$159,500Indeed​$104,852​VeryWellMind$41,220$95,610$127,510

Criminal Psychologist Reported Salary

Low

Average

High

Payscale.com

$30,000

$61,000

$101,000

ZipRecruiter

$22,000

$80,610

$159,500

Indeed

​

$104,852

VeryWellMind

$41,220

$95,610

$127,510

Criminal psychology is becoming a more in-demand degree program. Do not skip over these schools, known for their psychology and criminal psychology programs, when you are searching for colleges:

While the specifics of each university’s criminal or forensic psychology programs might differ, these general strengths can benefit aspiring criminal psychologists. As always, prospective students should research each program in-depth to ensure it aligns with their career goals and interests.

Various agencies within the criminal justice system may contact criminal psychologists or have one working in-house. Criminal psychologists may also choose to open their private practice or work as a consultant on a freelance basis.

If you are looking for jobs that hire criminal psychologists (or offer internship opportunities), keep these on your list:

Interested inlearning more about criminal psychology? Take a listen to the guy who wrote the book! Laurence Miller, Ph.D., is the author of Criminal Psychology - Nature, Nurture, Culture, and he answers the question, “What is criminal psychology?”

You can also read insights from criminal psychologists onRedditand other forums.

This answer from a retired criminal profiler onQuoratakes you through a day in the life of work in the criminal justice system!

The work of criminal psychologists has helped correctional officers, law enforcement, and the general public better understand what is going through the mind of a criminal. They also stop criminals before they can hurt other people!

Dr. Alexander Bukhanovskywas known for his work as a psychologist in Russia, creating psychological profiles on serial killers and hunting down some of the most notorious ones. He helped to catch Andrei Chikatilo, who admitted to killing dozens of women and children. Bukhavnovsky’s work radically changed the idea of what a serial killer is and what their motives are.

James Brusselused his knowledge as a criminal psychologist to find the culprit of over a dozen bombings at Radio City Music Hall between 1940 and 1950.

Elizabeth F. Loftusis a psychologist whose work with memory has influenced the criminal justice system and how it approaches the credibility of eyewitness testimony.

Lionel Hawardhelped shape the criminal psychologist’s role in the 80s, listing the roles and responsibilities that someone with this training could have (clinical, experimental, actuarial, and advisory.)

Criminal psychologists dig deep into the minds of criminals to prevent further crimes, catch suspects, and educate others about the people behind crimes. If you want to be a criminal psychologist, expect to spend your days:

Interested in becoming a criminal psychologist? I hope this helped. This is a relatively new field and not one that you can get into overnight, no matter how many podcasts you listen to!

There are many things to study in criminal and forensic psychology, such as theDifferential Association Theoryor the motives behind thelist of famous serial killers.

There are also some key differences between criminal psychology and its “sister science,” forensic psychology, that are worth noting before you choose a college course.

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Practical Psychology. (2021, June).Criminal Psychologist Career (Salary + Duties + Interviews).Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/criminal-psychologist/.Practical Psychology. (2021, June). Criminal Psychologist Career (Salary + Duties + Interviews). Retrieved from https://practicalpie.com/criminal-psychologist/.Copy

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