Criminal Psychologist

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Criminal psychology is the study of the actions, feelings, intentions, and responses of criminals and criminal behavior. Many criminal psychologists are used to help investigators and jurors understand the mind of a criminal and the motivation behind their behaviors. They work very closely with law enforcement, attorneys, and many other associates involved in criminal and civil cases. Criminal psychologists can work in many different situations like helping the victims or accused, as a witness, or to help rehabilitate victims or offenders. The field of criminal psychology is full of great opportunities for experience within criminal law and forensics.
In order to become a criminal psychologist an individual must earn a PhD or a PsyD in criminal …show more content…

Most criminal psychologists work in offices or courts, and work for state, federal, or local institutions. A variety of options are available within police stations, in courtrooms, in federal and state prisons, in private institutions, and in mental health centers. The average annual salary for a criminal psychologist is $60,000 per year, but salaries can vary from about $25,000 per year to over $140,000 per year depending. The experience and length of time an individual has worked in the field has a large effect on someone’s salary. The city that someone is employed in can have a decent effect as …show more content…

There can be days where they work in courtrooms as expert witnesses after they have met the criminal and gone through the evidence, or they could be acting as a profiler spending days going through case files trying to make connections. Criminal psychologists generally work in a kind of process. This process begins with going through their case files, then they attempt to understand the mind of the criminal by looking at and analyzing their actions. Next, they can go into the field and gather evidence and information that can benefit their case file. Then, they will spend countless hours examining their research and evidence and finalizing their reports. Lastly, they will meet with law enforcement to present their findings and show their case. However, there can be days when a criminal psychologist works hands on with a criminal which can be very physically and mentally exhausting. All in all, the day to day life of a criminal psychologist is ever changing and no day is like the one before, but that’s part of what makes the job so unique and

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