The article discusses about the education and career prospects for those who pursue graduate and postgraduate courses in criminology in India. Read on to have an overview of this increasingly popular career in the country.
The study of crime at individual or social level is known as Criminology. The subject covers the regulation of crime by the government authorities. It is an interdisciplinary subject involving studies of a number of other subjects that include Psychology, Sociology as well as Criminal Law. The increased instances of crime in the society have led to the increased importance of criminology and the number of students getting enrolled to these courses is increasing rapidly. In addition, the advances towards the crime approach and the modes of investigation requires detailed understanding of the subject matter, thus offering a number of employment and growth opportunities ahead as criminologist.
A number of institutes in India have started offering criminology courses, and some of the important areas of interest in this field are –
- Reasons of crime
- Prevention of crime
- Statistical data about Crime
- Behavior of the criminals
- Penology (philosophy and practices to repress criminal activities)
- Evaluation of criminal justice
- Career as criminologist
Eligibility criteria for Criminology Courses in India:
- For the undergraduate courses, the candidate must have cleared the 12th examination in Arts or Science.
- To seek admission in a postgraduate course, the applicant must be a graduate with majors in Arts or Science.
- The institutes offer both undergraduate (B.A/B.Sc.) and Post Graduate (M.A./M.Sc.) courses in Criminology are offered by various institutes in India.
Institutes offering courses in criminology in India, include:
- National Institute of Criminology & Forensic Science, New Delhi
- Institute of Forensic Science & Criminology, Panjab University
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Aligarh Muslim University
- Department of Criminology and Forensic Science, Karnataka University
- Institute of Forensic Science & Criminology, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi
Some of the leading laboratories also offer courses in forensic science, which are:
- Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyderabad
- Neutron Activation Analysis Unit, BARC, Mumbai
- Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Chandigarh
- Central Forensic Laboratory, Kolkata
Career as Criminologist in India
After completing graduation or post graduation in the field of criminology, you are eligible to apply for a range of jobs. A wide range of career prospects are available in the fields of teaching, legal education and sociology.
Criminologists develop their professional activity, similar to what happens in other countries as well. The common activities are associated with the working of police, prisons, educational centers for juvenile offenders, child protection centers, assistance to victims, treatment of drug abuse, crime prevention and safety, scientific research projects as well as teaching criminology.
In such contexts, criminology graduates will be able to pursue following activities:
- Criminological analysis (accurate identification of problems and their contexts, in order to propose concrete solutions that reduce the frequency of a particular form of crime or encourage better management of programs)
- Development and planning of criminal policy
- Design and implementation of prevention programs
- Clinical intervention, community intervention, mediation and consulting in several areas
- Design of social policies
- Scientific research and teaching
These jobs often offer a significant measure of job security and also typically provide a number of healthcare and retirement benefits. Apart from the financial perks, the careers as criminologists ensure job satisfaction for those who are interested in eradicating crime from the society. People earning a higher degree in criminology are gifted with the unique opportunity to serve the society and make the world a better place to live.
About the Author: Rashmi Karan is a professional writer who offers solutions to all education related queries and dilemmas. Explore to learn about professional courses available across different colleges and universities.
A blogger by profession and an engineer by qualification, Rashmi Karan started his career in new media 3 years back. Since then his writing has been published by several leading online blogs. Currently he freelances for major Indian brands like Shiksha.com and Naukri.com amongst others.