Criminal Psychology is defined as thoughts, actions, motives and desires of criminals. Criminal Psychologists find out what goes into the mind of criminals. They are also required to help the jury to take its final decision on a criminal case. Criminal Psychology is also called Forensic Psychology. It is basically a mixture of law and Psychology.

As society becomes more and more complex, more and more people take to crime. According to new reports which indicate that Forensic Psychology or Criminal Psychology is one of the rapidly growing disciplines in Psychology. So, the demand of a criminal Psychologist is more in modern times. There are many institutes which conduct these courses.

Institutes offering Criminal Psychology in India

• NIMHANS- Bangalore
• Global Open university-Nagaland
• Gujarat Forensic sciences University-Gandhinagar

Eligibility Criteria for doing Criminal Psychology

Most institutes or colleges require a Masters degree or a Post graduate degree from a recognized university in Psychology. Or the other requirement is to be a forensic expert with at least 5 years of experience.

Job description after doing Criminal Psychology Course

A Criminal Psychologist will be asked to give his views in the court room. This makes him a very valuable asset in helping to solve cases. Criminal Psychologists can also help in solving other cases where analysis is required.

Career opportunities after doing Criminal Psychology course

The type of salary a person will earn depends upon the type of employment he/she will undertake. If a person is working as a private consultant, then the chances of higher salary are more. This career will be a more rewarding career as the people involved will be helping the law and ensuring that justice prevails in the end. One can work as a consultant, in government, or in criminal courts. Criminal Psychology is also known as Psychology applied to criminal justice system. Forensic Psychologies devise various Psychological methods to understand and book the criminals.

Diversity of This field

The Criminal psychologist can become a consultant to other fields as well. The Criminal Psychologist can also help treat mentally ill patients. They also work in the juvenile system. They also conduct Psychology studies to find out the minds of criminals while working in the Courts. Apart from this, the criminal psychologists can find jobs elsewhere. They can work in social welfare departments dealing with human rights as well as environmental crimes. Non –governmental organizations or NGO’s, research institutes as well as private detective agencies also hire criminal psychologists.