The most important role for biology in criminal justice is DNA evidence, which has revolutionized forensic science and fundamentally changed the way we solve criminal cases, particularly major felonies like rape and murder. DNA typing is still expensive enough that it would not make sense to use it to investigate misdemeanors.If you have the stomach for it, autopsy has always been very important in criminology, and will most likely remain so. The best way...
The most important role for biology in criminal justice is DNA evidence, which has revolutionized forensic science and fundamentally changed the way we solve criminal cases, particularly major felonies like rape and murder. DNA typing is still expensive enough that it would not make sense to use it to investigate misdemeanors.
If you have the stomach for it, autopsy has always been very important in criminology, and will most likely remain so. The best way to understand what happened in a murder is to examine the body of the victim.
Biology also offers some insights into the causes of certain forms of mental illness that are associated with criminal behavior, including brain tumors and lead poisoning.
Chemistry is also quite important for forensic science, however, and it's a shame that they won't let you study both. There are a number of important applications of chemistry in criminal justice, particularly with regard to the investigation of illegal drug trafficking.
But in fact if criminology is your passion and you have the option, I would strongly encourage you to take psychology or neuroscience instead. Sociology, anthropology, and even economics would also be good choices. The major frontier of criminology right now lies not in investigating the results of crimes, but in understanding and modifying criminal behavior in order to prevent them. The major advances likely to be made soon will not be in catching criminals, but in understanding why they became criminals in the first place.
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