Career in Forensic science and Criminology

Forensic science and Criminology:
Forensic science deals with silent evidences. A forensic scientist makes evidences start talking. This Science, however, is prevailing since long in the history of criminal justice system, but nowadays it has gained more importance due to new form of crimes. Forensic science is the application of scientific principles to criminals and civil laws within a criminal justice system with a goal towards the establishment of guilt and innocence. With the increase in the number of crime in the society and its complexity as well as use of high tech methods by the criminals resulted in to the need of highly specialized people i.e. FORENSIC SCIENTISTS? The forensic science deals with the scientific part of criminal investigation. It is a major tool of an investigation agency to know the exact nature or the steps involved in committing a crime.

As a result of scientific and technological advancements the method of crime or modus operandi of criminals has also become hi-tech. Advancement in the field of information technology in particular, has given way to sophisticated form of crimes under the umbrella of a Cyber Crime. Manipulating information on ATM and credit cards, making clones of Cellular Phone SIM cards, sending threatening e-mails to important people, putting ransom demand through e-mail, hacking computers or bank accounts using internet banking and injecting viruses in the computer network are the crimes to name a few. Forensic skills are also used in a wide range of professional and industrial activities, for instance at disaster scenes, within archaeology and in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Forensic science would provide many more opportunities for graduate employment than in its traditional perceived role in the service of the law.

Importance of forensic' science:
Forensic science is a high profile subject in the world. It is gaining a lot of attention and investment as the modern-day scene of crime has changed a lot. As a result, with scientific liaison officers being appointed by the police service, the knowledge and communication gap between the scientists and the police at the crime scene has narrowed. There has developed a need to amalgamate police investigating officer and forensic scientist into one entity. Without doing so, the investigation and booking of criminal into appropriate sections of IPC or Cr. PC is rather difficult nowadays. Without doing so, a criminal can get the benefit of loopholes or drawbacks of the prevailing criminal laws. 
Forensic evidence is also used to link crimes that are thought to be related to one another. For example, DNA evidence can link one offender to several different crimes or crime scenes (or exonerate the accused).
Forensic scientists are specialists but their skills is bridged with several disciplines e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Anthropology, Medicine, Pharmaceutical Sciences etc. The multi disciplinary nature of the subject requires integrated scientific skills applied within a legal context. 

Career Prospects:
Students who complete the course successfully have excellent job opportunity in the field of Forensic laboratories set up in each district of the country. In courts, prisons, CBI, police, Detective and securities agencies and law firms. There are many kinds of forensic science jobs. Crime scene investigators spend a lot of their time going out to find evidence on the spot like toxicologists (experts in harmful substance), concentrate on lab work. Many of them focus on a specific part of forensic science and a ballistics expert deal with firearms and bullets. New forensic methods open up new specialties. Using fingerprints to identify people was a big step forward in 1896. Now, DNA "fingerprinting" can be used to identify people based on each person's own specific genetic code. Other new areas include forensic accounting, nursing, and photography. Apart from this, a fast growing discipline has been added to list which relates to Cyber Crime.

Courses available:

• Certificate Course in forensic Science
  
• Diploma in Forensic Science and Criminology.
  
• P G Diploma in Forensic Science and Criminology
  
• Bachelor degree in Forensic Science and Criminology
  
• Masters Degree in Forensic Science and Criminology Research (PhD)
  

Correspondence courses are also available in certain universities. 
Apart from these, C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram has launched maiden courses on Cyber forensics. The objective of the cyber Forensics courses is to meet the requirements of trained manpower in the field of cyber Forensics as well as assist law enforcement agencies and the judiciary to follow up on cyber crime investigations. It offers two courses- Post Graduate Diploma in Cyber Forensics and the Certificate Course in Cyber Forensics (part time).

Programme Duration:
The course duration varies from 1 to 3 years depending upon the nature of the course chosen. 

Eligibility:
Graduate in any discipline, Science graduates, M.B.B.S., D. Pharma students, LLB Working professional in the field of medicine, law, police and even computer engineers and IT professionals are also eligible to pursue the course. 
Subjects/Disciplines

•  Forensic Anthropology
  
•  Forensic Pharmacy 
  
•  Forensic Medicine 
  
•  Forensic Toxicology
  
•  Forensic Analysis of Biological Evidence 
  
•  Introduction to Criminology
  
•  Topics in Specialty Forensic Examinations 
  
•  Forensic Serology
  
•  Cyber Criminology or Cyber Forensic.
  

Job opportunities:
There are various openings for professional of this field as Forensic Scientist, Technical Assistant, Research Assistant, Criminologist, Scientific Investigator and an up coming professional "Cyber Criminologist in various government, public and private sector establishments like Police, CBI, BSF, IB, AIIMS, Railways, Banks, Insurance Companies, Private Investigating agencies etc.

Institute offering courses in Forensic Science and Criminology: 

• Osmania University Hyderabad
  
• Banaras Hindu University, Varansi
  
• Forensic Sciences Department, University of Madras
  
• University of Delhi, Delhi
  
• Ramjas College, University of Delhi, Delhi.
  
• Miranda House, University College for Women, Delhi.
  
• Central Forensic Science Laboratory, CBI, Block- IV, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi aE 110003
  E-mail : dcfslcbi@ndf.vsnl.netin
  
• National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science (NICFS), New Delhi.
  
• National Crime Records Bureau, New Delhi.
  
• National Law University, NH – 65, Nagour Road, Mandore, Jodhpur – 342304 (Raj.) E-mail: nlu-jod@raj.nic.in
  
• Dr. Hari Singh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar, MP.
  
• Punjab University, Patiala.
  
• Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, UP.
  
• BITS, Pilani.
  
• Centre for Development of Advance Computing (C-DAC), P.B.NO. : 6520, Vellayambalam, Thiruvanthapuram – 695 033
  
• Bio Informatics Institute of India, C- 56 A/28, Sector 62, NOIDA aE 201301 UP