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Criminologist vs. Criminalist: What's the difference?

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Criminal Justice Careers: Criminologists and Criminalists

If you want to get a criminal justice degree, you have to first know which criminal justice field you're interested in. And there is some confusion between them. For instance, when you hear the terms "criminalist" and "criminologist," you have to admit that they are just a little bit confusing.

Criminalistics

Criminalistics is the forensic science of analyzing and interpreting evidence using the natural sciences. Forensic science pertains to all sciences applied to legal problems and helps law enforcement agents solve crimes. Criminalists (aka "forensic science technicians") examine physical evidence to reconstruct a crime scene. Physical evidence can be a weapon, a piece of clothing, a bloodstain or drugs. Fingerprints, bullets and shoe impressions are some of the important clues that criminalists analyze.

A criminalist is a person with a background in science, typically having at least a bachelor's degree in an area such as chemistry, biology, forensic science, a criminal justice degree or one in criminalistics. Criminalists work in crime laboratories and at crime scenes.

Below are some of the specialties in criminalistics that you can pursue with a criminal justice degree:

Firearms and Ballistics

Criminalists provide information to investigators about the caliber and type of firearms used in a crime. Scratches are left on bullets by the barrel of a gun so when a firearm is recovered, these marks can help identify the firearm and link it to a crime.

Trace Evidence

Criminalists also analyze trace evidence in fibers, hair, soil, glass, pollen, explosives, food and just about anything involved in a crime. No training will prepare criminalists for every kind of evidence they will encounter since each case is unique, so this type of research lets the analyst creatively draw upon all of his or her former experience.

DNA and Serology

Since the 1980s, DNA techniques have begun to be applied to forensic cases. Any tissue from the body carrying DNA may be used to identify a person. Increasingly, innocent people have also been released from prison based on DNA evidence analyzed by criminologists. Blood is also often analyzed and can tell criminalists a lot about a crime.

Drugs, Alcohol and Toxicology

Criminalists use their knowledge of chemistry to identify controlled substances in drugs and body fluids. A criminalist may be called to a drug lab where illegal drugs are produced to analyze what police have found.

Forensic science includes the following specialty areas:

biology
digital and multimedia sciences
engineering
entomology
odontology
pathology
physical anthropology
toxicology

Finally, the criminalist testifies in courts of law, educating the judge and jury about the conclusions reached in the laboratory. Criminalist teach jurors about the techniques that were used in their analysis, the results obtained and interpretations derived from their conclusions.

Criminalistics should not be confused with the field of criminology (see below).

Criminology

Criminology is the scientific study of crime, criminals and corrections. A criminologist studies normal social behaviors and deviations from the norm. Criminologists are often academics who study crime and the law. They often have a criminal justice degree that helps them provide theoretical explanations of delinquent and criminal behavior.

Criminologists work with law enforcement agencies to develop profiles of particular types of crimes and gather statistics on crime rates. This helps law enforcement agents prevent crime before it happens, or may help them apprehend criminals once a crime has been committed.

A good criminologist needs to demonstrate creativity, analytical thinking and problem-solving. Criminologists generally need a criminal justice degree, preferably with a minor in psychology or sociology.

Criminology Education

Undergraduate criminal justice degree courses include government, sociology, psychology, juvenile delinquency, criminal law, constitutional law and criminal theory. Additional coursework includes forensics, abnormal psychology, corrections and statistics. Advanced degrees are necessary for those who choose to teach or conduct professional research, and often for professional advancement.

There is no one single educational path to this career. For instance, someone working at a correctional institution may need only a bachelor's degree in criminology to get a job. A criminologist who is a psychologist typically has a postgraduate degree in psychology. A criminal justice degree is also a great place to start.

Entry-level criminologists conduct data collection, catalogue information about the possible causes of crime and compile crime statistics. More advanced criminologists also analyze and develop crime prevention strategies.

Criminologists may focus on a specific age group or type of crime. A criminologist may focus on crime prevention, corporate crime or criminal corrections.

Universities and government agencies employ professional criminologists for advanced teaching, and research and policy assessment.

Many criminologists become police officers or federal law enforcement agents. Criminologists may work in universities teaching criminal justice, criminology, legal studies, law or sociology. Federal and state justice agencies employ criminologists as research officers and policy advisers.

Criminologists are found in many different settings: airport security, corrections systems, probation or parole officers, drug enforcement agencies, FBI, TSA, Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies.

For salary information, see our Criminal Justice Salaries web page.

Sources: http://www.cacnews.org/ (CA Ass'n of Criminalists); http://www.unixl.com/dir/law_and_legal_studies/criminology_jobs/; http://www.princetonreview.com/cte

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