Your day-to-day duties may include:

• researching the reasons why people commit crime
• advising policy makers in the justice and policing systems
• analysing data from surveys and intelligence to spot trends
• working on crime reduction and rehabilitation programmes
• recommending ways to improve the effectiveness of punishments
• visiting prisons and probation services to speak to offenders and ex-offenders
• attending conferences and presenting research findings
• teaching students at college or university

You could work in an office, in a prison or visit sites.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding and you may spend nights away from home.

You could become a senior policy adviser on crime and crime reduction with local or national government, the police or the probation service.

You could also work as a specialist researcher in particular offences, for example online abuse, organised crime or youth offending.

With further training, you might move into social or probation work, a career in law or join the security services.