Criminal Justice Careers in Applied Psychology

The criminal justice field offers a wide variety of career paths, including psychology.

According to Westchester University, the application of psychology to the criminal justice system is forensic psychology. Those looking to enter into a career in forensic psychology must enroll to study in psychology as well as criminal justice courses. Upon completing the degree, a variety of careers open up in a broad field that has a continuing need for individuals who excel in critical thinking, verbal communication and have a passion for research.

Researcher

In some instances, a forensic psychologist chooses to devote his entire professional life to research. Duties could range from criminologist tasks such as studying crime and the factors that put people at risk to commit them and deciding appropriate treatment for victims of various crimes to simply listening to the testimony of a witness in a trial and analyzing it from a psychological perspective. A master's or doctoral degree is recommended for this career, as those with a bachelor's degree may have a hard time finding work in any forensic psychology field. The average salary is around $60,000 per year as of July 2010.

Victim Advocate

Forensic psychologists who work in victim advocacy provide counseling specifically to those personally affected by a crime, whether directly or indirectly. Victim advocates may perform a variety of tasks for their clients, such as just being with them during the criminal processes or educating the public on ways to prevent situations that could result in a person being victimized. The average salary in this field as of July 2010 is around $60,000, although those with 20 or more years of experience will earn closer to $80,000. A master's or doctorate degree is highly recommended.

Jury Consultant

Frequently used by lawyers to better understand the process of selecting the right jurors for the case, jury consultants are experts in human behavior specifically trained to provide insightful information on jurors. A jury consultant performs research and background on potential members of the jury, gathers data and presents it in statistical form, and offers advice on what strategy to use during a trial to win over the particular group of jurors assigned to the case. On average as of July 2010, jury consultants earn about $60,000 per year, although this does increase with experience. Any degree below the master's level is unlikely to put one into consideration for a position as a jury consultant.

Correctional Officer

Whether done inside or outside a prison setting, correctional officers assist in the process of guarding inmates. In prison, they are responsible for ensuring a safe environment inside a prison, doing occasional checks for potential disturbances, searching rooms for illegal items, and patrolling the building to make sure there are no locations of possible escape. Outside prison, they transport prisoners to jobs or other trips as appointed by the court. Correctional officers can expect an average salary of around $60,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in July 2010.

Court Liaison

A court liaison is responsible for handling criminal cases in the process of being filed with the District Attorney's Office. She must be able to ensure legal accuracy in police reports as well as answer any inquiries from all attorneys involved in the cases the court liaison is assigned to. The highest-paid forensic psychologists earn up to $100,000 a year, although the average salary is a little more than half of that to start. A master's degree or doctorate is strongly recommended.

References

• Westchester University Psychology Department: Careers in Forensic Psychology
• The Chicago School of Professional Psychology: Forensic Psychology
• All Psychology Schools: Forensic Psychology