Special certifications and training can enhance professional preparation. (Learn more about a B.A. in Criminal Justice.) Post-graduation requirements vary depending on federal, state, county and municipal governments. At the same time, criminal justice’s focus on the study of human nature, societal conduct and institutional responses to antisocial behavior leads naturally to the fields of counseling, education and healthcare.

The BLS projects job growth in police officers, detectives, probation officers and correctional treatment specialists to be 4 percent from 2014 to 2024.^1,2 This is a slower than average growth rate for this time period. The hiring outlook for police and detectives is generally positive, with government spending causing variation by place and year.³ Growth in probation and corrections officer jobs is often tied to given state and local government funding for corrections, particularly probation and parole systems.⁴ Median pay was $49,360 for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists, while police officers and detectives had a median salary of $60,270 in 2015.

Criminal justice careers can cover a number of roles, including:

• Police officers
• Forensic scientists
• Security specialists in business settings
• Juvenile justice caseworkers
• Paralegals
• Correctional officers
• Probation officers
• Private investigators

One of the most visible careers in criminal justice is that of police officer. Police officers’ main duty is to protect people and their property. Detectives have the more specific role of conducting fact-finding and collecting evidence in the investigation of potential crimes.

Police and detectives can specialize (horseback, motorcycle, canine corps, homicide) or have different duties depending on what level of the government they serve. For example, at the local/state levels, there are uniformed police officers, state police officers, transit and railroad police, sheriffs/deputy sheriffs, and detectives and criminal investigators. At the federal level, options exist within the FBI, DEA, Secret Service, Federal Air Marshals and U.S. Border Patrol, depending on the type of law enforcement preferred.

Police officers and detectives are typically responsible for the following types of law enforcement: Responding to calls, patrolling, monitoring traffic (and issuing citations), securing warrants/arresting, compiling detailed reports, and testifying in court. They also can provide first aid to accident victims when first to arrive as emergency responders.⁵

After people have been apprehended for crimes, they may require authorities to monitor or assist them as they rejoin society. This is where probation officers and correctional treatment specialists do their work. People in the corrections area try to smooth the path to reintegration for offenders; their job is to help treat people or train them in the requisite skills for successful rehabilitation.

Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists have myriad responsibilities: Determining the best course of rehabilitation, meeting with and evaluating probationers, providing resources, addressing substance abuse and maintaining detailed reports, among others.⁶

Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists work with probationees who are given probation instead of jail time, who are still in prison, or who have been released from prison.

This line of work can be further broken into the specializations of parole officers and pretrial services officers. The former work with parolees to modify behavior in the hopes of preventing repeat offenses, and the latter assess the fitness of pretrial defendants to return to the community before trial, respectively.

Careers in criminal justice best suit the socially conscious individual who can apply his/her passion for helping integrate reformed citizens with the larger law-abiding world. These types of careers are also attractive to those who want to deter crime and defend equality as a social good. For more on what attracts people to this field, check out “What Is Criminal Justice?”

• B.A. in Criminal Justice (also available online)