Criminal justice careers

Criminal justice careers can encompass a variety of jobs and typically welcome people with backgrounds in criminal justice, criminology, sociology, political science, psychology, social work, and other liberal arts and human services disciplines. The employment possibilities within the traditional police, courts, and corrections areas are being expanded with opportunities in private business.

Criminal Justice careers can be exciting and rewarding. They can range from trial lawyer to a paralegal that works with criminal defense lawyers, to a corrections officer working in state prisons, to a homicide detective who solves murders. Many government organizations need people who have a strong understanding of criminology and crime statistics. There are many support roles throughout the criminal justice and law enforcement community.

Criminal Justice Significance

Many occupations today require a college-educated individual who can write and speak well, solve problems, learn new information quickly and work well with others on a team. This means that Criminal Justice graduates use their education in a wide variety of fields, and your future career may relate more to your personal career interests, work values and transferable skills than any specific academic major. Obtaining experiences within a particular field is extremely important in preparing students for life after college. These experiences can be in the form of internships, part-time jobs, or volunteer positions. Regardless, they allow students to develop specific knowledge and skills that both help a student solidify their career choice, and improve their chances of employment in that field following graduation.

What jobs are available for Criminal Justice Graduates?

The following list are some of the job titles of graduates with Criminal Justice major:

• Police officer
  
• Detective
  
• Criminal investigator
  
• Corrections, Parole, or Probation officer
  
• Warden
  
• Security investigator or specialist
  
• Lawyer
  
• Legal assistant
  
• Court administrator Judge or Magistrate
  
• Federal government [FBI, CIA, ATF, Customs, Secret Service, INS, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement]
  
• State [state trooper, SBI agent], Local law enforcement agencies, Arson specialist, Serology specialist or Fingerprinting specialist.
  

Who employ Criminal Justice major graduates?

• Federal, state and local government agencies
  
• Military branches/Defense agencies
  
• Security companies
  
• Private investigative services
  
• Businesses and retail stores
  
• Colleges and universities
  
• Law firms
  
• Private probation

Major Skills of criminal justice graduates

• Written & presentation skills
  
• Understanding societies' reaction to crimes
  
• Considerations of gender & race
  
• Quantitative skills
  
• High degree of physical fitness and ability to work under pressure
  
• Ability to work independently and as well as being part of a team.
  
• Understand and respect values and workings of the legal system.
  
• Ethics and moral values
  
• Strong background in humanities, social science, & natural science