Criminal Justice and Criminology Jobs

Criminal Justice and Criminology JobsCriminal Justice and Criminology JobsWhether youre still in school and just exploring your options or youre hitting the pavement hard on the job hunt, if youre at all interested in careers in criminal justice and criminology, you probably have tons of questions. We knowbecause you ask them. From learning mora about what kind of jobs are available to what kind of degrees youll need, weve got the information you need to discover and land a great job. To get that information to you as quickly and conveniently as possible, here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about criminology careers. The Kinds of Jobs Available in Criminal Justice and Criminology One of the best things about the fields of criminal justice and criminology is the sheer variety of career choices available.Of course, there are the traditional career paths associated with the industry, such as law enforcement and corrections, but there truly is so much more to it than that. College professors, policy makers, conservation officers, lawyers, dispatchers, private security and loss prevention specialists all have important roles in criminal justice and criminology. In truth, no matter what your interest, youre very likely to find a corresponding career path in the industry. The Kinds of Jobs Available in Forensic Science Like criminal justice and criminology, forensic science offers a wide array of specializations so that theres a place for almost anyone. Besides the most commonly associated job of the crime scene investigator, nearly every scientific discipline has a forensics component. Properly qualified and educated job seekers can explore entomology, psychology, anthropology, ballistics, biology and more, with practical applications in jobs such as bloodstain pattern experts. Theres also a place for the technologically inclined through computer and digital forensics, and for the detail-oriented individual through handwriting analysis. Criminal Justice and Criminology Salaries People who enter into criminal justice and criminology usually do so because of a desire to serve the public. For the most part, these jobs are largely about service and sacrifice. Unfortunately, altruism wont put food on the table or pay the mortgage, so youre going to want to know how much you can expect to earn. Salaries vary widely depending on the level of education, responsibility and technical expertise necessary to perform the job, but in general, you will probably start out earning between $30,000 and $40,000. Corrections officers, versicherungsschein dispatchers, and loss prevention workers tend to be on the lower end of the pay scale, while professors, scientists, and private consultants can earn well over $100,000 annually. Majors for Criminal Justice Because of the variety of jobs available, there are lots of education paths you can take to prepare yourself for a career. Typically, people interested in criminal justice and criminology careers will want to study the social sciences. The best degrees for these types of jobs, besides criminal justice or criminology, are sociology, psychology, or political science, with any combination of majors and minors in those areas. Majors for Forensic Science For those of you interested in a career in forensic science, the key word is science. The best degrees are found in the natural sciences, like biology, chemistry, and physics.In addition to the basics, if you have a particular specialty in mind, you can explore entomology, anthropology, psychology, computer science, just to name a few. Again, the emphasis should be on building knowledge and training in scientific principles and processes. The Education Requirements for Criminology Careers College is a tremendous investment, both in time and money. If youre going to make such an investment, you want to know how much skin in the game you need to have and what kind of return you can expect. The amount of education youll need to have will depend greatly on the kind of job you want. There are plenty of criminal justice and criminology careers that dont require any degree at all, whereas others will necessitate a masters or even a doctorate. Youll have to do a little research here about the specific job youre looking for and be koranvers to take earning potential into account, so you dont saddle yourself with needless student loan debt and minimal resources to pay it back. What You Can Do With a Criminology Degree Our first rule of deciding college majors is to determine what you want to do before you select a degree to earn so you can tune your educational objectives to your career goals. With that said, plenty of people find themselves with a college degree that theyre leid sure what to do with. If you earned a degree in criminology, you have a lot of options available. You may choose to become a criminologist, a juvenile justice officer, a probation or community contr ol specialist, or even work in a government policy position, among others. Opportunities With a Degree in Criminal Justice A criminal justice degree is best suited for people who want to work within the justice ordnungsprinzip. behauptung degrees will best prepare you for work as a police officer or corrections officer. They can also provide important foundational knowledge for aspiring lawyers. If you have a criminal justice degree, look for jobs in law enforcement, investigations, or the courtsystem. Where Should You Look? Therere tons of options available for criminal justice and criminology career seekers, but youve got to know where to find them. Most of these jobs are going to be found in the public sector. Visit your municipal, state, county and federal websites and focus on law enforcement agencies, departments of corrections and investigative bureaus. If you have a specific area of interest or expertise, look into the bureau or department that oversees that area. Yo u may be surprised to learn that most government agencies, particularly on the state and federal level, employ some sort of enforcement or investigative body, including agriculture, the postal service, the military and even the parks systems. There are also, of course, private sector jobs available, such as loss prevention, security, and consulting, but government jobs are the best place to start your search. What Can Keep You From Getting a Job? A great deal of criminal justice and criminology jobs require an extensive hintergrund investigation, which may include looking into your past employment, your criminal history and even psychological evaluations and polygraph exams. Things in your past that may come to light during the process may very well impact your ability to get hired. Major issues that can hurt you include common hintergrund disqualifies such as past drug use, especially more serious drugs like cocaine and hallucinogens detected and undetected serious misdemeanors a nd felonies patterns of poor work behavior falsified job applications any issues of domestic violence and a poor driving record. Most agencies will look at the totality of the circumstances, and if there is a significant amount of time between a problematic event and your application, it may be overlooked. Its important to realize, though, that you need to work hard to keep your background and blemish-free as possible to give yourself the best chance. How to Get Experience Its an age-old paradox you cant get a job without experience, and you cant get experience without a job. Or can you? True, many jobs require you to have some experience, but you can obtain it from a variety of sources.Certainly, if youre still in school, internships are a great option. Even if youre out of college, though, there are chances to gain valuable experience to get the job you want. Look for volunteer opportunities in your chosen field. If you want to work in law enforcement, for example, consider workin g as a reserve or auxiliary officer. You may also need to think about starting out in a position at a lower level than youd prefer to get your foot in the door. Hey, everybodys got to start somewhere. Apply for Criminal Justice and Criminology Jobs Practically speaking, there are plenty of ways to apply for jobs. Most employers now have some sort of online application system, or you can go the traditional paper route. Learning about the application process is relatively simple. Completing the application correctly, however, is something else entirely. When filling out any job application, make sure you fill it out completely. Simple mistakes and omissions can give an employer the impression that you are either untruthful or careless, neither of which will get you hired. Be certain you understand what is being asked for on the application, and if you truly have a question, contact the recruiter or hiring representative to get clarification. Your job application is often the first imp ression youll give of yourself to a potential employer, so make it count. Avoid misspellings and grammatical errors, and be sure to fill it out neatly if you cant type it. Forensic Scientist Shows likeCSIandDexterhave increased the popularity of and the interest in forensic science careers. Coupled with scientific and technological advancements in the field make these sorts of careers more and more appealing, and thus more competitive. To become a forensic scientist, youll want to focus on learning about science. In college, study the natural sciences, and hone your expertise if you are interested in a particular specialization. Try to find internships at forensics labs, apprentice under other scientists, and develop strong written and oral communication skills. You can also expect to have to pass a background check. Crime Scene Investigator While some agencies hire non-sworn technicians to be crime scene investigators, many departments still use sworn officers. The typical route i s to begin by finding work as a police officer for a few (usually two or more) years and then transition into a specialty position like crime scene tech. Whether sworn or non-sworn, though, youll need to have the knowledge and training to do the job. A foundational knowledge of the natural sciences will be helpful, as will taking classes and certification courses in crime scene investigation. Develop skills in photography, analysis, and communication, and look for opportunities to intern or apprentice. Police Officer Most often, the process to become a police officer is regimented through a series of steps, beginning with the job application. Youll need to pass a written basic abilities test, a physical fitness evaluation, eye and physical exams. You can expect a thorough background investigation which may include a polygraph, possibly a psychological assessment to determine your suitability for the job, and you may go before an oral interview board. And, of course, youll have to co mplete a police academy and field training successfully. Why Consider a lage? There are lots of things that make criminal justice and criminology jobs appealing, both for practical reasons and personally gratifying ones. For one thing, you have the opportunity to help and serve others. Theres also job stability, good pay, and great health and retirement benefits. All in all, criminology careers are a great opportunity for satisfying and rewarding work. Non-Law Enforcement Too often, people immediately associate criminal justice and criminology with law enforcement and investigations.In truth, there are many, many career options outside of policing. Crime analysts gather and interpret data for all kinds of criminal justice applications. Police dispatchers provide the communications support police officers need to do their jobs safely and are the lifeline between people in need and people who can help. Other great civilian careers include victims advocates, forensic scientists, fore nsic psychologists, and criminologists, to name just a few. Physical Fitness For law enforcement and special agent careers, the physical fitness assessment is an important component of the hiring process. The nature of these jobs sometimes requires physical exertion to help other people, capture fleeing suspects and protect yourself. The physical abilities testing that agencies conduct may vary slightly, but they usually consist of evaluating you based on your strength and endurance, such as counting the number of push-ups and sit-ups youre able to perform and the speed at which youre able to run 1.5 miles the other popular assessment tool involves a timed obstacle course that simulates some of the things you may actually have to do on the job. For either test, the best way to prepare is to maintain a training regimen and try to stay in good physical condition. Background Checks The sensitivity of the job and the level of authority and responsibility will often dictate just how th orough a background investigation may be, but you can expect employers to dig pretty deep. Theyre going to check to see if you have any prior arrests, but you can also expect them to look into whether you ever used alcohol excessively or abused drugs. Contacting past employers is also standard practice, as are credit checks to make sure youre not so indebted as to compromise your ability to do your job and that youre meeting your obligations. The background investigator may also conduct home visits and meet with neighbors to get a better picture of what kind of person you are. In short, expect the background check to beverythorough. Masters Degree The question of whether or not to get a masters degree hinges on what type of job you want and what your career goals are. For most careers, a masters degree wont be required, not even for advancement. It can, however, make you a more attractive candidate for promotion and prepare you for working at a higher level in your organization. If you want a research job or have designs on teaching at the college or university level, a masters degree or even higher will be a must. GettingReady The first step is to do your research and find out what kinds of jobs youre most interested in. Once youve chosen a career path, you can focus your efforts on meeting the requirements and making yourself competitive for that particular job market. Consider educational, training and experience requirements and work to build a resume that will make you an attractive candidate. While youre at it, work on meeting people in your chosen industry to build networking contacts and learn more about the job youre trying to land. The adage that knowledge is power is very true here, so the more you can gather, the better prepared youll be when its time to look for jobs. Find the Best Job for You Find a job you love, so the saying goes, and youll never work a day in your life. The key to finding the job you love is figuring out what you like to do. L ook to your hobbies and your personal preferences to inform what kind of work you may be best suited for. If you enjoy reading or are interested in statistics and data collection, you may want to find a position as a researcher, scientist or analyst. On the other hand, if you like being outdoors or interacting with other people, you may enjoy working the road as a patrol or wildlife officer.Find your passion, and then research to find your best job fit. Why Am I elend Getting Hired? If youre falling on hard luck on the job hunt, there are a number of reasons why youre not getting hired, some of which you can control and some you cant. The trick is understanding the difference and then working on the things you can do something about. Make sure youre filling out your applications thoroughly and accurately. Make sure your qualifications meet those of the particular job description. When drafting your resume, for example, keep it relevant to your career goals. Work on making sure y our education and experience are at the level they need to be. Of utmost importance is to dress professionally at all times when interacting with potential employers, and ensure your communications are professional as well and that they paint the best picture of you as possible.Above all, keep your head up, stay persistent. Asked and Answered With so much to learn about these great careers, its understandable that you may have more questions that dont appear here. Fortunately for you, well continue to add resources for you to learn and grow your career prospects to give you the best possible chance to discover and land a rewarding criminal justice or criminology career.Criminal Justice and Criminology JobsBadges, guns, cars, and cuffs - these are the images that most of us associate with the term criminology. When people think about careers in criminology, their thoughts immediately turn to law enforcement and crime scenes. The truth is that criminology is far more encompassing and much harder to pin to any one subject or industry. You can find a criminological component in nearly every degree program or career specialty. What Is Criminology? Criminology is a subset of sociology. Its a scientific discipline that focuses on all aspects of crime at all levels of society. It includes the causes of crime as well as its consequences. It also attempts to measure the effectiveness of societys responses to crime and to propose ways to both prevent and address criminal behavior. Technically, the term criminology specifically refers to the actual study of crime performed by social scientists known as criminologists. Most criminologists are social scientists or sociologists who have narrowed their focus to criminal issues and behaviors. Criminologists and other social science professionals have helped develop policies and procedures for communities and police departments across the country and around the world. Theyve instituted concepts such as community-orient ed policing, predictive policing, and environmental criminology. Criminology positions are available from the federal government all the way down to local governments and in the private sector as well. Criminologists in the private sector often interact with and work with various law enforcement agencies. A Criminologists Job Description and Daily Tasks A criminologists daily tasks often include the collection and examination of evidence. She might attend autopsies or actually visit crime scenes to analyze and gather evidence. But a criminologist might also explore the psychological causes of crime from investigation through conviction and even rehabilitation. Some daily duties are more humdrum, as can be the case with any job. Criminologists organize data and evidence, make statistical analyses, and file reports. Educational Requirements Careers in criminology or criminal justice might or might not require a college education or past work experience, depending on the field and the specific job. In some cases, its possible to find rewarding and lucrative jobs in criminology or criminal justice that dont require a degree. But most criminologists have at least one academic degree, whether an associate degree, a bachelors degree, or a doctorate. Its important to choose the right major for your criminology career if you are going to pursue a degree. Your own personal aspirations will go a long way in helping you decide what degree you should earn. For example, a degree in criminology might be interchangeable with a degree in criminal justice for someone who wants to become a police officer, but a person seeking employment in the academic or research realm might be better off studying criminology itself. Potential courses at the undergraduate level include those associated with law, psychology, sociology, government, and business. Some jobs within criminology require advanced degrees. Criminologists and forensic scientists must hold at least a masters degre e in criminology or criminal justice if they want to advance in their careers and earn credibility. Likewise, those interested in psychological careers will most likely need to pursue a Ph.D. to find significant success. Good Skills to Have Many subsets exist within the field of criminology, so the necessary skills for each can vary widely. But communication skills are paramount - the ability to clearly express theories, findings, and solutions verbally and in writing. Public speaking skills can also be helpful. Computer skills are essential in this day and age, as well as the ability to navigate the internet. Careers in Criminal Justice Criminology careers are often associated with jobs in the criminal justice arena as well. Criminal justice is the practical application of criminology in society. The three main components of the criminal justice system are law enforcement, courts, and corrections or punishment. Some of the career options within this area include police off icers, detectives, and criminal investigators. Theyre on the streets and at crime scenes. Corrections officers work in prisons and institutions, while probation and community control officers typically deal with postconviction and postrelease criminals and their communities. A police dispatcher guides calls for help and facilitates responses. These positions can reach to the federal level, such as FBI and Secret Service special agents, U.S. Border Patrol agents, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Naval Criminal Investigation Services agents, Drug Enforcement Administration agents, and U.S. Marshals. Careers in Forensic Science The term forensics means of or having to do with the law. Forensic science simply refers to the application of scientific principles to legal concepts and questions. Forensics has become almost synonymous with crime scene investigation and evidentiary analysis. Careers available in forensic science include DNA specialists and forensic scienti sts who collect and analyze physical evidence. Ballistics experts deal with firearms and ammunition evidence. Bloodstain pattern analysts can help determine the types of weapons that are used in crimes as well as points and angles of attack based on blood spray. Forensic anthropologists focus on the study of bones. Trace evidence experts and analysts deal with fibers and other manmade substances, including paint chips. Forensic entomologists determine how long a body has been dead. Toxicologists work with tissue samples and body fluids, while serologists focus solely on body fluids. Careers in forensic science generally require a degree in one of the natural sciences, such as biology or physics, but forensics can be applied to almost any area or specialties, such as accounting, engineering, photography, art, animation, or computer science. Criminal and Forensic Psychologist Careers Because of its sociological component, psychology is a natural fit for studying and counseling peo ple who crime has affected. Some of the many careers available for aspiring psychologists who are interested in criminology include jury consultants, counselors, social workers, and prison psychologists Additional Employment Opportunities Some criminologists move into teaching, either in the academic sphere or in a governmental role. Other more scholarly pursuits can include policy review and research. Some criminologists focus on profiling, creating likely psychological pictures of criminals to help investigators zero in on likely suspects and potentially rule out others. Something for Everyone No matter what your interests or expertise and regardless of your work experience, level of education, or physical ability, opportunities for careers in criminology and criminal justice are available for nearly every type of person - and you can narrow your sphere down to the type of work that most interests you. Criminologists often specialize such as in homicides or even white-col lar and cybercrimes. Whether you like to get your hands dirty in the field, go hands-on in a laboratory, or prefer to work behind the scenes in research or administration, chances are that youll find a rewarding and maybe even fun career somewhere within this broad and all-encompassing field.?