In-Demand & Exciting Criminal Justice Jobs in 2021
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Got a degree in criminal justice and wondering what potential jobs are there for you? Well, the great news is — the employment market for criminal justice jobs abounds. Not only can you find numerous job vacancies in the field, but there are also various positions available. This means that individuals pursuing a career in the criminal justice industry have a vast amount of opportunities.
But before diving in, let’s find out some essential facts and information about the popular occupations surrounding criminal justice to have a broader understanding of this field.
About Criminal Justice Jobs
When we speak about the jobs in the criminal justice system, the people we would usually think of are police officers, private investigators, lawyers, or judges. The truth is — this sector is not limited only to those job titles.
The criminal justice system provides opportunities for people with a passion for public service and upholding the law. These individuals love to solve cases, protect citizens from crimes of any sort, or defend alleged criminals with sensible legal mitigation. In most cases, jobs with a criminal justice degree benefit society to a large extent.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that the criminal justice sector employs about three million people. Given this field’s broad nature, this number of workers is distributed to different subfields, including law enforcement, legal services, forensic science, private and homeland securities, corrections, and academia.
What Do Criminal Justice Professionals Do?
Depending on their specializations, criminal justice degree jobs have different duties and responsibilities. These professions can be found in most, if not all, levels of the federal, state, and private sectors.
Duties of Criminal Justice Professions
Criminal justice is a discipline that focuses on studying laws relative to criminal behavior and their corresponding applications. Various professionals work in this area, including police officers, detectives, lawyers, Supreme Court members, forensic scientists, court personnel, criminal investigators, and many more.
Given the numerous occupations in this field, each specialization also requires specific duties. However, criminal justice professionals’ tasks usually include the following:
- Carrying out the law
- Inspecting their corresponding district
- Managing files or records of cases
- Indicting persons accused of a crime
- Keeping safe suspects under supervision.
Different Types of Criminal Justice Careers
Like other fields, criminal justice explores concepts in different areas such as criminology, sociology, psychology, business, and science. Aside from criminology, its specialties include crime prevention and forensic investigation, among others. That said, criminal justice has plenty of options for individuals who want to work in this field.
Here are the ten best criminal justice job descriptions, including essential skills and qualities:
1. Intelligence Analyst
Intelligence analysts work closely with other criminal justice personnel in different institutions or agencies to help ensure national safety and security. Their principal task is to assess and interpret intelligence data and determine criminal activity patterns to prevent and reduce crimes. A successful intelligence analyst needs to be inquisitive, skillful in solving problems, and a team player with great attention to detail and good decision-making skills.
2. Corrections Officer
One of the most common criminal justice occupations is usually found in prisons overseeing inmates’ activities and behavior, maintaining peace and order, and implementing rules within the jail facility. An effective and efficient corrections officer must have good judgment and interpersonal skills, exemplary negotiation abilities, and physical vigor.
3. Behavioral Specialist
Behavioral specialists working within the criminal justice system typically deal with youths who have behavioral problems or are at risk of criminal activities. A behavioral specialist must be someone with a strong background in applied behavior analysis, an expert in handling emotionally charged situations with impeccable behavior management, interpersonal, and communication skills.
4. Criminal Psychologist
This is one of the most interesting jobs for criminal justice majors. The criminal psychologists’ primary task is profiling arrested criminals. They should be experts in psychology, criminal, and mental health laws. Their communication and organization skills must be exceptional and adept at building trust with their colleagues. They also need to be proficient in research work, have an eye for detail, and skilled in distinguishing behavior patterns.
5. Paralegal
People who perform paralegal jobs are also known as legal assistants. Paralegals usually provide legal services and assistance to attorneys. Besides education, training, and experience, paralegals need several vital traits to succeed in their jobs in the criminal justice field.
They must be excellent in research and writing, pay close attention to detail, be highly organized, work well under pressure and minimal supervision, able to multitask, and have superb communication skills.
6. Judge
Becoming a judge takes more than a degree and an interest in law. These professionals are elected or appointed to the position according to certain criteria and have desirable qualities that would make them honorable and fair.
Along with the essential skills, such as listening, reading, and writing, judges should be competent in critical reasoning and deciding.
When it comes to compensation, judges are among the highest-paying criminal justice jobs with a national average salary of $87,849 per year.
7. Law Enforcement Officer
As enforcers of the law, they ensure that the public and different properties are protected at all times. To execute their duties effectively and efficiently, they need to have qualities and skills, such as being assertive, resilient, open-minded, staying calm in challenging or dangerous situations, communicating well, and possessing outstanding interpersonal skills.
8. Forensic Scientist
The forensic scientist’s main responsibility is collecting and analyzing physical evidence from a crime scene. They usually conduct their duties using mobile tools and equipment to solve crimes in cooperation with law enforcement agencies.
Therefore, they should be highly analytical, accurate, and expertly communicate, especially when explaining their findings at courts.
9. Social Worker
Among the less-known criminal justice professions is one of a social worker. In fact, some social workers play a vital role in preventing crime by working closely with law enforcers, rehabilitation specialists, behavior specialists, and similar. Professional social workers tend to develop emotional and cognitive skills. However, continuously nurturing these skills throughout their career is also important.
10. Criminal Defense Attorney
Since their primary role is to defend anyone accused of a crime, criminal defense attorneys should know the law and possess different skills and other qualities to succeed in their job.
They must be skilled in communicating (both written and oral), well versed in research and investigation tasks, creative and analytical thinkers, and possess excellent interpersonal skills.
Work Environment
Like many other professions, jobs involving criminal justice can be demanding, stressful, and even risky. Since this is a broad field that includes multiple specializations, the work environment is also diverse. For example, personnel who regularly conduct crime scene visits often work outdoors. On the other hand, forensic scientists work in crime laboratories most of the time, while forensic social workers perform their jobs elsewhere, depending on who they’re dealing with.
Injuries and Illnesses
Criminal investigator jobs performed outdoors are more dangerous than the jobs done in the office. Exposure to extreme weather conditions and crime-related hazards (i.e., weapons, toxic chemicals, explosive materials, bodily fluids) can endanger personnel’s life and health. Also, police officers and detectives who respond to crimes and interact with various types of criminals regularly face harm and may suffer injuries.
However, this doesn’t mean that indoor or office-related criminal justice careers are stress-free and harmless. Lawyers, forensic accountants, or fraud investigators also face mental fatigue when dealing with numerous legal issues and, sometimes, demanding clients. On the other hand, computer forensic specialists and information security officers with prolonged exposure to computers and other digital devices are at the risk of suffering from eye strain and other possible eye conditions.
Work Schedules
Almost all jobs in the criminal justice field are full time. Others even require you to work more than 40 hours a week and on shifting schedules, especially those who need to ensure public safety at all times. Some may be called outside of normal business hours if there are cases that need immediate attention.
How to Become a Criminal Justice Professional
A large pool of jobs for criminal justice graduates awaits to be filled. But what does it take to become a professional in the criminal justice field?
Starting a career in criminal justice would require having certain skills and qualifications based on your chosen specialization. If you want to pursue a career in criminal justice jobs, a degree in criminal justice is necessary. Other employers may require you to finish a police academy.
Most positions in government agencies, including FBI and DEA, require a bachelor’s degree. Meanwhile, if you want to specialize in forensic science, a bachelor’s or associate degree would be needed. However, if you prefer becoming a forensic technician, this specialty requires you to earn a postsecondary certificate. Those aspiring for jobs in law firms must attend law school and pass the bar exam required by the state.
Important Qualities of Criminal Justice Major Jobs
Aside from a degree or training in a certain field, criminal justice occupations also require several important qualities.
- Integrity. This is vital for earning your clients’ or managers’ trust and respect. As a criminal justice professional, you must put aside personal beliefs and biases. Being able to maintain integrity at all times helps you become accepted by society.
- Courage. This is crucial in most jobs and even more in criminal justice. Police officers, FBI agents, correction and security managers put their lives at risk every day to protect the public. On the other hand, lawyers and criminal and fraud analysts usually defend criminals and testify in courts. Therefore, these professionals need the courage to stand up for what and who they believe in.
- Empathy. Since criminal justice occupations are primarily built on the mission of helping others, having compassion is necessary. This would allow you to give options, offer solutions and resources to prove that people can improve their situations, make positive changes, and conquer life obstacles.
- Patience. This is also necessary for almost all types of jobs. In criminal justice, patience is of utmost importance since this field is hugely based on government laws and regulations. Dealing with government agencies requires a lot of paperwork and thus results in a lot of waiting.
- Discernment. This refers to the ability to judge something integral to jobs the criminal justice system requires. Criminal justice professionals should display discernment at all times, leading them to the next steps focused on positive outcomes.
Education
There is no specific educational background required to enter the criminal justice field. Academic requirements vary depending on the position and employer. A high school diploma would suffice for some positions, but getting a degree in criminal justice would give you an edge when applying for a certain job.
Administrative or managerial roles usually require a bachelor’s or graduate degree. Some large law enforcement institutions ask for a master’s degree. Other positions require graduate-level training.
What if you want to work in the criminal justice field but haven’t finished a police academy? No worries! This sector has a variety of exciting criminal justice jobs that don’t require a police academy. You can apply for positions like background screen analyst, conservation officer, court reporter, fingerprint specialist, property room technician, and truancy case manager, to name a few.
It’s very important to know exactly what kind of job you want before choosing a degree. This way, you’ll be able to align your career goals with your educational objectives.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations Required for Best Criminal Justice Jobs
Aside from an academic degree, national certification or state licensing would be necessary for some criminal justice specialties. For instance, a social work state license is required for forensic social workers. Also, requirements vary in terms of educational attainment and experience.
If you want to work in New York’s criminal justice system, you must earn two licensing levels. Individuals who wish to become licensed clinical social workers need more than just passing a clinical exam. They should also be graduate degree holders with supervised clinical experience of at least three years. A graduate degree is also needed for licensed social workers.
On the other hand, forensic accountants must be Certified Public Accountants and, at the same time, holders of certification in forensic accounting.
Advancement
What makes criminal justice careers and salaries even more attractive is the high potential for advancement. Many job options allow employees to advance in their careers. So if you’re thinking of getting a job in this field, you can rest assured that you’ll have the possibility to move up the career ladder as long as you put your best foot forward.
Of course, you need to meet certain requirements to advance in your career. These vary depending on the specialty, employer, and other related factors. Let’s look briefly at some careers for criminal justice majors and their advancement opportunities.
Correctional officers can be promoted to correctional sergeant or warden jobs. Paralegals or legal assistants can advance to managerial or supervisory positions after gaining relevant experience.
Police officers who successfully completed their probationary period are eligible for promotion to higher positions, such as captains, corporals, lieutenants, or even detectives in larger offices.
On the other hand, private investigators and detectives can establish their firms once they have the necessary experience and resources.
Aside from performance and experience, some criminal justice specialties require further education for career advancement, such as a master’s or doctoral degree.
Pay
Criminal justice jobs’ salary ranges vary depending on several factors, including education level, technical expertise, duties, responsibilities, and similar. However, the compensation generally starts from $30,000–$40,000. Specialties on the pay scale’s lower end include police dispatchers, correction offers, and loss prevention workers. Conversely, scientists, private consultants, and professors can have annual earnings of as much as $100,000 or even more.
Job Outlook
Considering that the public needs to be protected at all times, there is an ongoing demand for jobs in criminal justice. However, demand differs by specialty. Some specializations offer higher employment prospects than others.
Job Prospects
As the employment rates in many criminal justice specialties were projected to increase from 2018 to 2028, there’s also an expected rise in competition among job seekers. Apparently, those with higher education levels, previous relevant experience, and advanced technical and other skills would have the best prospects.
Final Thoughts
As we have seen, the criminal justice field is a hub for exciting and rewarding careers, especially for the right people. Nothing compares to the fulfillment one gets from serving their fellow citizens. In fact, many of those who chose to pursue criminal justice career paths attested that doing so means making a difference while serving the community and helping others.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
How many jobs are there in the criminal justice field?
A:
The criminal justice system is a network of local, state, and federal agencies whose main role is to deal with crime and promote public safety. It creates countless occupations that can be generally categorized into law enforcement, correction forensics, legal services, and homeland security. These areas are further broken down into several sub-specialties.
In addition, different jobs outside of the traditional criminal justice fields can be suited best for highly skilled and knowledgeable individuals.
Q:
What are some entry-level criminal justice jobs?
A:
Whether you’re a fresh graduate or someone who’s trying to make a career shift in the field of criminal justice, you actually have plenty of options. You can choose some entry-level criminal justice jobs, like a police officer, non-profit organization advocate, child protective services worker, parole officer, custom and immigration enforcement officer, fish and game warden, and border patrol agent, among others.
Q:
What is the highest paid job in criminal justice?
A:
Based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest report, attorney jobs are the highest earners among criminal justice jobs. The estimated annual salary for lawyers ranges from $74,980 to $163,320. Lawyers serve as legal representatives either in civil or criminal trials. They provide their clients with sound advice (be it personal or business in nature) based on several factors, such as knowledge of laws, research, and judicial decisions.