Criminologist - Career Advice - Research and Development

Criminal Profiler

Criminology involves the study of the complex issues of crime and criminal justice. It is primarily a social science concerned with how crime is measured, who commits crimes and why, and how society responds. FutureGrowthModerate

Criminologists look for ways to understand the nature and impact of behavioural and social problems, and ways of alleviating their impact.

They contribute to study and policy-making in juvenile justice, drug addiction, cybercrime, corrections, violence, crime prevention, Indigenous justice, and organised crime. Criminologists are actively involved in community initiatives, offender assessment, and policy development and project management and evaluation within federal, state and local criminal justice agencies.

From a background in criminology, some people go on to join the police to train as crime scene investigators or detectives, whilst others pursue legal, forensic, policy or technology-related careers.

ANZSCO ID: 272499

Knowledge, skills and attributes

To become a criminologist, you would need:

a non-judgmental attitude
numeracy and statistical apptitude
analytical and critical thinking skills
an interest in human behaviours
strong self-confidence.

Criminologist

Duties and Tasks

As a criminologist, you would:

study the criminal justice system across States and Territories
analyse crime data looking for patterns and emerging trends
help to develop crime policies, crime prevention strategies and policing strategies
attend crime scenes and interview criminals to gather data
compile statistics and reports on the justice system, types of crime and demographics
propose ways in which justice system resources can be used more effectively
propose ways in which the law can keep up with societal changes, such as cybercrime.

Working conditions

Criminology is a very small occupation. Criminologists may work in universities teaching criminology, justice and sociology while conducting their own research. Federal and state justice agencies such as research and statistics institutes, police, courts and correctional authorities employ criminologists as researchers, assessors and policy advisers. Others are in private practice providing consulting services for law reform, justice, forensic psychology, behavioural science, or crime statistics.

As a criminologist you would work a standard number of hours per week. Depending on your role, you may also be called out to crime scenes at unusual hours.

You would be based in an office and usually work for the government, a tertiary education institution or in private industry. You may travel to places such as prisons and community-based correctional centres for interviews.

Education and training/entrance requirements

Criminology subjects are taught within several Australian colleges and universities at the diploma, degree and higher levels. At university some students doing other degrees such as law, science and psychology may also do criminology subjects as part of their elective choices. There are generally no formal prerequisites, but most universities will require a good score in Year 12 English, in addition to an appropriate tertiary entrance for the degree course you do.

People wishing to make a specialised career out of their criminological studies generally need to complete at least a four year degree (BA with honours). Australian Institute of Criminology staff include people with qualifications in sociology, psychology, law, behavioural science, and justice studies. Statistical, analytical, and research skills are well regarded.

Employment Opportunities

Criminology is a small profession, and the total number of job opportunities is comparatively low.

However, the rate of job growth for those in social professions, including criminology, is expected to be above average.

Did You Know?

The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) is Australia’s national research and knowledge centre on crime and justice. The Institute seeks to promote justice and reduce crime by undertaking and communicating evidence-based research to inform policy and practice.

The AIC was established in 1973 under the Criminology Research Act 1971. Since July 1, 2011 the Australian Institute of Criminology, a Commonwealth statutory authority, is regulated under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act).

The functions of the AIC include conducting criminological research; communicating the results of research; conducting or arranging conferences and seminars; and publishing material arising out of the AIC’s work.
(Source: The Conversation)

A criminal profiler is part of a law enforcement team that uses his or her training, intuition, and experience to help solve a crime by profiling potential suspects. They reconstruct a crime from the time it was committed right to the end. They then analyze the behavioral and physical evidence surrounding the crime. Using the information they’ve gathered, they determine the most possible and likely scenario. FutureGrowthModerate

Criminal profilers use their knowledge of both law enforcement and psychology to create a psychological profile of the suspect. With the information provided by criminal profilers, law enforcement agencies can narrow down their search and only pursue suspects that meet that criterion.

Criminal profilers compile and compare data from similar crimes and offenders to create a profile of a suspect. They form logical hypotheses based on witness reports, victim testimony and crime scene evidence. Criminal profilers often lead investigations as they study the nature of a crime, analyze the clues left behind and interview witnesses to inform their conclusions.

ANZSCO ID: 224411

Alternative names: Profiler, Criminal Investigative Analyst, Forensic Psychologist, Criminal Psychologist,

Knowledge, skills and attributes

Strong analytical and intuition skills
Good research skills
Experience conducting interviews and investigations
Understanding and knowledge of psychology and criminal minds
Excellent problem-solving skills
Emotional detachment
Critical thinking skills
Good listening skills and the ability to understand what is said
Persistence and determination
Good reasoning skills
Good organizational skills
Strong attention to detail

Criminal Profiler
(Source: Liveabout)

Duties and Tasks

In order to develop psychological profiles of a suspect based on evidence, profilers must have extensive investigatory knowledge and the ability to review and analyze evidence. Profilers work closely with law enforcement agencies, visit crime scenes and perform extensive analysis to identify patterns or consistencies in criminal behaviour. Profilers are required to continue training to stay current with laws and regulations as well as learning new or modern investigative techniques and tools.

The primary duties of a criminal profiler include:

Studying the psychology of past and present criminals and making correlations between similar criminal types
Identifying key behaviour patterns of current criminals
Performing geographic profiling
Administering personality assessments and other types of psychological testing
Studying and utilising investigative strategy, various law enforcement interviewing techniques and crime scene analysis
Building profiles of offenders that guide law enforcement when trying to find the offender
Analysing evidence, crime scene reports, witness and victim testimonies and any suspects to better form a profile
Identifying potential criminal offenders
Reading and preparing reports for law enforcement agencies
Regularly participating in training to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in the psychology and criminal industries
Providing testimony in the courtroom

Working conditions

While they spend some time in an office, researching online or inputting data, criminal profilers spend a lot of time out in the field. They often work long hours when on a case and may work nights and weekends. Criminal profilers are often asked to travel for work to visit the scene of the crime and talk to victims and witnesses in person.

They are also called into court to testify in court cases. Criminal profilers are often the ones that provide the best information needed to narrow down the suspect list and solve a crime.

When a crime is committed, law enforcement contacts profilers and requests their presence at the crime scene. Profilers start by going through and examining all the evidence found at the crime scene. They analyze the crime scene from top to bottom and interview victims and witnesses.

Profilers use all this information to discover any patterns that might match specific crimes or criminals. In addition to creating a profile for a suspect, a criminal profiler will also conduct research on criminals and criminology to learn more about their patterns and behaviour. They also interview convicted criminals, go through old cases and write reports on criminal behaviour patterns.

The role of a criminal profiler can sometimes involve profiling dangerous criminals. However, the job itself is not typically dangerous. This is because much of a criminal profiler's job takes place at a desk doing research.

How New York’s First Terrorist Led to the Birth of Criminal Profiling | The New Yorker
https://youtu.be/xdLNbsoPD5c

Tools and technologies

Criminal profiling is done by identifying similar behaviours and patterns in certain criminals through the examination of evidence and the application of psychology techniques. Profiling uses historical data and behaviour to assign characteristics in order to make predictions about a criminal. Using profile analysis data as well as evidence and witness testimony, profilers can help law enforcement pinpoint a suspect.

Profilers typically map criminal:

Behaviour patterns
Personality traits
Physical appearance


Education and training/entrance requirements

Typical educational and experience requirements for criminal profilers include:

Bachelor’s in psychology, criminal justice, forensics and behavioural science, at minimum
Master’s or doctorate degree in criminal justice or criminal psychology


Employment Opportunities

Criminal profilers used to be used only for specific crimes, but today they are used to profile offenders in various crimes, including kidnapping, arson, cybercrime, hostage-taking, extortion, child abduction, murder, kidnapping, and serial sexual homicide, among others.

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