Career Information

Careers in Law Enforcement

The Criminal Justice system is divided into three main areas: Law Enforcement, the Courts, and Corrections.

Law Enforcement

Government-based Law Enforcement is divided into four different levels or jurisdictions of legal authority: Federal, State, County, and Local.

The major or better known Federal agencies are: the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), U.S. Marshals, Bureau of Prisons, Bureau of Customs, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

On the State level, there are state counterparts for most of the federal agencies, such as State Police, State Highway Patrol, State Bureau of Investigation and Apprehension, Department of Natural Resources, Fire Marshal Division, Driver and Vehicle Services Division, and Department of Human Rights.

On the County level, the agencies typically include the County Sheriff, the County Police, and the County Coroner or Medical Examiner.

On the Local level, employment opportunities can typically be found with the Municipal or City Police Department and other local positions such as Constable and Marshal.

The Courts

When we think about the Court System, we most often think of Judges and Attorneys. Even though these are the two highest-profile positions in the judicial system, there are numerous other professional opportunities, such as: Paralegals, Court Administrators, Legal Assistants, Court Clerks, Bailiffs, and Court Reporters.

Attorneys can be employed in either the public or private sector, as is true of law enforcement professionals. In the public sector, the most familiar government attorney is the District or Prosecuting Attorney, who represents "the people." The government attorney may be employed at the federal, state, county, city, or town level. The opposing side (defendant) may be represented by the Public Defender, also a government attorney, who provides legal counsel to defendants who are found by the Court to be indigent (cannot afford a private defense attorney) or the defendant may elect to retain private legal counsel to represent him/her.

Private Attorneys work in a diverse number of specialty areas. In addition to representing criminal defendants, employment opportunities also include such areas as: corporate, insurance, personal injury, bankruptcy, divorce, immigration, labor, real estate, sports, and patent law.

A major difference between Attorneys and other Criminal Justice professionals is the amount of education that is required to practice law. All Attorneys are required to have a bachelor's degree and a law school degree, i.e., typically seven years of post-secondary study, plus they are required to pass the bar examination. Many Law Enforcement and Corrections positions require only a bachelor's degree, associate's degree, or, in some cases, no degree at all.

In contrast to Attorneys, all Judges are government employees. There is no such thing as a private judge. Some judicial positions, such as a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, are received by appointment, while others are elected positions. Also, some of the judicial positions are for the lifetime of the individual appointed, assuming good behavior. Judges also serve on the federal, state, county, or local level.

Corrections

The majority of people working in Corrections are employed as Correctional Officers, Jailers, Wardens, and other custody-related positions. However, there are additional employment opportunities for Parole Officers, Probation Officers, and positions for Counselors to help rehabilitate and manage inmates. There are also positions for Substance Abuse Specialists to assist the growing number of inmates convicted of drug-related offenses.

As with Law Enforcement and the Courts, those associated with Corrections may be employed at the federal, state, county, and local level. In addition, individuals in the Corrections industry may also be employed by a private company, which has contracted with the government to operate a correctional facility. Although a private company may operate a correctional facility, the government is still ultimately responsible for what goes on in the privately operated facility.

Career Opportunities

The following is a list of potential career opportunities for individuals who have a degree in Criminal Justice. This is only a partial list. There are numerous other opportunities available to Criminal Justice majors.

Note 2: Some criminal justice agencies require specific physical qualifications, e.g., height, weigh, vision (corrected vs. non-corrected), etc. The student should check with the specific agency in which she/he is interested in order to determine its specific requirements for employment.

Note 3: The student seeking this degree should be aware that some careers in Criminal Justice may require a criminal background check.

Careers in Law Enforcement

Federal Agencies:

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Special Agent
• Central Intelligence Agency Agent
• Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent
• Federal Bureau of Investigations Special Agent
• Federal Department of Corrections (diverse positions)
• Federal Police Officer
• Federal Postal Inspector
• Immigration and Naturalization Services Investigator
• Internal Revenue Service Special Agent
• National Crime Information Center (diverse positions)
• United States Border Patrol Agent
• United States Capitol Police Officer
• United States Coast Guard
• United States Customs Service Investigator
• United States Department of the Treasury
• United States Immigration Inspector
• United States Import Specialist
• United States Marshal
• United States Park Police
• United States Postal Service Inspector
• United States Secret Service Physical Security Specialist
• United States Secret Service Special Agent
• United States Secret Service Uniformed Officer

State Agencies:

• State Bureau of Investigation and Apprehension
• State Crime Information Center
• State Crime Laboratory
• State Department of Human Rights
• State Department of Natural Resources
• State Fire Marshal Division
• State Highway Patrol
• State Police

County Agencies:

• County Sheriff / Deputy Sheriff
• County Police
• County Coroner / Medical Examiner

Local Agencies:

• City / Municipal Police
• Town Marshal

Careers in the Courts

• Judge
• U.S. Attorney (Office of the Attorney General)
• Assistant U.S. Attorney
• State Attorney General (State Attorney's Office)
• Assistant Attorney General
• Prosecuting Attorney
• Deputy Prosecuting Attorney
• Public Defender (Federal or State)
• Private Criminal or Civil Attorney
• Paralegal
• Court Psychologist
• Court Administrator
• Court Reporter
• Victim / Witness Services
• Juvenile Court Intake Officer

Careers in Corrections

• Warden
• Correctional Supervisor
• Correctional Officer
• Guard
• Parole Officer
• Probation Officer
• Correctional Counselor
• Correctional Case Manager
• Social Worker
• Recreational Specialist

Correctional Agencies:

• Federal Bureau of Prisons
• Federal Correctional Institute (FCI)
• Federal Department of Corrections
• State Department of Corrections
• County Jails
• County Juvenile Detention Centers
• County Probation Offices

Careers in Miscellaneous CJ Areas

• Campus Law Enforcement
• Caseworker (Adult or Juvenile)
• Counselor (Alcohol/Drug Abuse, Child/Spousal Abuse, Family Services)
• Criminologist
• Crisis Centers
• Drug Treatment Centers
• Forensic Scientist
• Insurance Companies (Fraudulent Claims Investigation)
• Medicare/Medicaid (Fraudulent Claims Investigation)
• Private Security Company (Businesses, Airports, Hospitals, Hotels)
• Research/Data Analyst
• Statistician
• Worker's Compensation Commission