Criminal Justice Career Paths

Our society is held together by a collection of rules and regulations, and the maintenance of order requires a robust criminal justice system to interpret and enforce those rules. Criminal justice careers are among the most challenging and rewarding occupational paths out there.

Criminal Justice Career Paths

Here are just a few careers within the largest occupational fields within criminal justice, and look at typical careers within those fields.

Legal careers are those that involve the interpretation of the laws. The first occupation most people think of within the legal field is lawyer, the specialists who directly interpret the law by arguing cases for their clients. Aiding lawyers are legal assistants and paralegals, who help with a wide range of tasks, from legal research to drafting of briefs and other documents, to nearly every other duty lawyers conduct short of offering legal advice and arguing in court.

Law enforcement careers are those that deal directly with lawbreakers, seeking to either prevent crime or catch those who have perpetrated them. Police forces are the state’s official representatives in this area, and are responsible for the majority of enforcement activities. However, security guards and other private security personal also play important roles.

Corrections careers deal with those already convicted of breaking the law, helping to both punish and to rehabilitate them for eventual re-introduction to society. Corrections officers work in prisons and other facilities to oversee prisoners. Probation officers and corrections treatment specialists work those who have been incarcerated to ease their transition back into life after prison.

Salaries for Criminal Justice Careers

Legal careers can offer substantial financial rewards. Lawyers, for instance, have one of the highest average salaries of all professions tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Lawyers earn a median salary of around $37, 180*, with the middle 50 percent earning $113, 530* – and attorneys specializing in corporate and tax law can earn even more than that.

Law enforcement worker salaries cover a wide range of possibilities. Median salary for police officers and detectives is $55, 000****