Criminal Justice Career
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A career in criminal justice may lead to employment in the area of law enforcement, corrections, security officer or the court system. The majority of these positions are available at the local, state and federal level of our government. In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for degreed security officers in the private sector.
Since the terrorist attack on New York City, the Federal government has restructured and increased the level of security in the United States. With these changes, there has been an increase in the demand for training in criminal justice, criminology and the practice of law, particularly in the area of international criminal law. The State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security is one example of criminal justice expansion overseas. Special agents from that department are responsible for the protection of diplomats particularly in the fight against terrorism. Other examples of security related government jobs are too numerous to mention but eligibility to apply at the federal level usually requires a college degree.
A criminal justice career in the private sector can include working for large businesses, security agencies, and for-profit correctional institutes and other businesses that require trained security officers. While requirements may not be as stringent as government positions, businesses seek trained and competent security personnel for customer relations and liability reasons.
Even though a career in criminal justice may cover many fields related to security and be general in nature, some choose to specialize in certain areas of criminal justice as they gain experience. The intent of the criminal justice degree is to provide students with leadership skills needed in general for many areas of criminal justice and to provide them with the academic requirements needed for entry-level positions in law enforcement, corrections, private security or the court system. If a student aspires to specialize in certain career fields later, they may then seek further training and experience in a specialized criminal justice field related to the career path they are interested in pursuing.
Centura College Richmond and Centura College Online Education offer an accredited two-year associates degree that is relevant to the industry and current to business needs. The school communicates with law enforcement departments to ensure that the education students receive is relevant to community, business and government security needs.
For more information on a degree or your educational and career needs, please contact our college today.
