What Is Forensic Science?

Most people hear about forensic science all the time on TV, but they don’t actually know what this sector of the criminal justice system is. What is forensic science? Is it just a bunch of people running around in lab coats all day, or is it an actual career? Forensic science is a special branch of crime scene investigation that involves the use of scientific principles to explain different parts of a crime. Forensic scientists analyze evidence from crimes in their area to reconstruct the events that led up to them. If this sounds like a career you may be interested in, read the information below to get a better idea of what may be involved with your future line of work.

Divisions of Forensic Science

Forensic science is a fairly broad section of the criminal justice system because there are so many different ways to analyze a piece of evidence. Because forensic science is such a vast practice, it is broken down into several divisions that correspond to different forensic science jobs you may look into. Those concentrations include:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Controlled substance identification
• Document examination
• Fingerprinting
• Firearms/toolmark identification
• Psychophysical detection
• Toxicology

Each division has a different purpose, but they all work together to analyze evidence from a crime scene. The fingerprint analysts will determine which people may have been in a certain area so the firearm identifiers can figure out who may have shot a gun used in a murder. There are plenty of other examples of this chain of events, but it is important to note the interconnectedness amongst the various careers in forensic science. If you decide to find employment in this field, you will need to work with a team of different people to determine what happened in a crime.

Employment Offices for Forensic Scientists

Most forensic scientists work in crime labs in a section of a law enforcement office. However, some of these individuals end up working in government offices or law firms to help specific people solve specific crimes. The money you make as a forensic scientist may be partially determined by the industry you work in, so it is important to explore different employment opportunities as they come up. Listed below are some of the most popular industries for forensic science technicians to work in, along with a look at what employees make in this industries:

• Crime Labs: $30,139 – $88,951
• Government Offices: $33,072 – $98,436
• Law Enforcement: $32,288 – $99,091
• Law Firms: $28,993 – $84,327
• Science and Engineering Services: $29,694 – $93,196

There are many other factors that will play a role in determining your annual income as a forensic scientist, but it is nice to know what your options may lead to in the end. That may make you explore an employment place that you did not think of in the past.

How to Become a Forensic Scientist

In order to learn how to become a forensic scientist, you will first need to go to school in pursuit of a degree related to forensic science. In some cases, you can actually earn a forensic science degree. Otherwise you may need to earn a biology or chemistry degree with a minor in criminal justice. That will give you the scientific skills you need for the lab, as well as the legal information you will need to work in crime scene investigation. You should be able to take your degree program online if you want to get your education at home, but there are traditional universities that offer educational programs as well.

When you have your college degree in hand, you will have a better understanding of what is forensic science. After that, you can either take an exam to get certified or start looking for work right after college. Getting a certification is not a requirement for most employers, but it will definitely give you an advantage over the competition. Thus you may want to keep that in mind before you skip out on the certification process entirely.

If you have a true passion for science and crime scene investigation, forensic science could be the perfect career path for you. This is not a career for everyone, mainly because it involves a heavy amount of lab work and tedious techniques. If that sounds like an enjoyable experience for you though, you’ll fit in just fine as a forensic scientist.