Average Criminology Salary in India in 2024 [For Freshers & Experienced]

Criminology is a relatively new field in India. The rising threat of terrorism and the increasing crime rates have exponentially increased the demand for criminology experts in India. Organizations look forward to their expertise and skills to combat potential threats and crimes. 

If you’re interested in fighting crimes and make the society a better place, pursuing a career in criminology would be perfect for you. It’s also an excellent career choice for those who want to understand how a criminal’s mind works. 

This article will tell you about the average criminology salary in India and how you can earn the top criminology salary in India. Now, without further ado, let’s get started: 

Criminology Salary in India: What is Criminology and Why it’s Necessary

Criminology refers to the study of crime and deviant behaviour. It is an interdisciplinary subject in social and behavioural sciences that focuses on examining criminals to understand why they commit crimes, the impact of their crimes, and what can be done to prevent them. 

It is a branch of Sociology that primarily studies human behaviour, organization, and interaction. Being an interdisciplinary field, it combines many concepts of other fields including biology, philosophy, psychology, and anthropology. 

Criminology aims to find the root causes of criminal behaviour and create solutions that prevent them. There are many sub-branches in this field such as the biological branch, classical branch, psychological branch, and the sociological branch.

The crime rate in India is significantly high. In 2018, the crime rate for total cognizable IPC crimes per lakh was 236.7, which is certainly high. As criminologists specialize in mitigating crimes, their expertise would certainly be useful for a populous country like India. 

Criminology Salary in India: Based on Job Roles

The following are some of the most prominent careers you can pursue in criminology. They all require you to have a bachelor’s degree or certification in criminology.

Let’s discuss the average criminology salary in India of various roles to understand how well-paying this field is:

1. Crime Analyst Salary in India

Job Description

Crime analysts analyze evidence, perform laboratory analyses and conduct research for crime investigations. They collect body fluids, fingerprints, and items that can be processed in a laboratory for evidence.  

As a crime analyst, you’d have to follow strict guidelines while collecting and processing evidence. This job requires you to work with a computer most of the time to manage all the important information so a little technical proficiency is imperative for this role.

You’d be responsible for analyzing criminal activity in a specific region and search for information in the statistics and maps to generate helpful insights. This role requires strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Apart from those skills, you’d also need effective communication skills as you’d have to share valuable insights with fellow professionals including analysts, scientists, criminologists, and law enforcers. 

As a crime analyst, you’d be working with statistics to identify crime patterns that can help prevent future crimes. 

The average pay of a crime analyst in India is INR 5.2 lakh per annum. As you’ll gain experience and enhance your skills, your pay in this field would increase accordingly. 

2. Criminologist Salary in India

Job Description

A criminologist is a specialized scientist who analyses and learns about criminal behaviour and activities. They work with law enforcement agencies, universities, and social psychology labs and help them conduct research. 

As a criminologist, you’d be investigating crimes but not individually. You’d be focused on figuring out why or how criminals behave the way they do to help police and investigative agencies find the assailants and prevent such crime patterns. 

Criminologists assist the government in reducing crime rates by suggesting solutions to prevent lawless activities. You’d have to gather data, analyze it and gather insights from the same. 

You might also interact with criminals directly through interviews to create the psychological profile of those people. This role would require you to interact with law enforcement agencies regularly to get the necessary data. 

A criminologist earns INR 3 lakh per annum on average in India. With experience, your pay in this field can go up to INR 10 lakh per annum.

3. Criminology Professor Salary in India

Job Description

If you have a knack for teaching and academics, then you can pursue a career as a criminology professor. As a criminology professor, you’d be responsible for conducting research on the subject and teaching students about the field. 

You’d need strong communication skills as you’d have to explain advanced concepts in a simple language for the ease of understanding of students. This role requires you to provide a proper learning experience to the students and encourage them to develop an inquisitive mindset.

Apart from teaching students, you’d also have to conduct research and publish papers. That’s why this field requires strong writing skills. You should know how to convey your thoughts and ideas in the academic language easily. 

Average Salary

The average pay of a professor in India is INR 2.58 lakh per year. However, as you gain experience, you can expect to earn up to 18 lakh per year. This is certainly an excellent field if you want to earn the top criminology salary in India. 

4. Forensic Psychologist Salary in India

Job Description

Forensic psychologists are responsible for evaluating the mental competence of criminals during trials and diagnose mental disorders or illnesses. As a forensic psychologist, you’d be responsible for studying various crimes for profiling a criminal and helping the law enforcement agencies in catching the same. 

You’d also be responsible for making recommendations for sentence length for guilty culprits and determine whether the culprit requires mental treatment or not. You’d be interviewing patients, gathering and analyzing information, and conducting background checks to understand the motivations behind their actions.

Forensic psychologists collect and analyze data to help law enforcement agencies take the necessary preventive measures and mitigate the crimes. Apart from a detailed knowledge of criminal psychology, this field also requires strong interpersonal skills as you’d be working with lawyers, psychiatrists, consultants, etc. 

Average Salary

The average pay of a forensic psychologist in India is INR 4 lakh per annum. Freshers in this field can earn around INR 1.25 lakh per annum however, experienced forensic psychologists can make up to INR 30 lakh per annum.

How to Enter this Field and Earn Top Criminology Salary in India

Even though criminology is a relatively new field, it offers a ton of unique career opportunities. From the forensic sciences to teaching, there are various job profiles present in this niche sector. 

To pursue a career in criminology, you’ll need to complete a criminology course. Taking a course will help you learn all the basic and advanced concepts of criminology and criminal psychology while providing you with the necessary certification to apply for job roles in this industry. 

Conclusion

If you have a knack for understanding the human mind and the passion to create a safer space for people, then pursuing a career in criminology would be perfect for you. Since this field is quite new, there aren’t many qualified and skilled criminologists around. This is precisely why you can easily bag high-paying roles in this industry.

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