Criminal Justice Careers

Whether you want to work in law enforcement, advocacy, or counseling, a criminal justice career can open doors to impactful work in a number of fields.

A degree in criminal justice can give you the flexibility to specialize in fast-growing employment areas like cybersecurity and information technology or allow you to pursue a more traditional criminal justice career path and land a job as an investigator.

As a multidisciplinary field, a criminal justice degree has plenty of opportunities for career advancement. Critical thinking and communication skills, as well as an analytical mindset, are key to excelling in the high-demand, intense field of criminal justice.

Read on to learn about some of the fastest-growing careers in criminal justice.

What Jobs Can I Get With a Criminal Justice Degree?

A criminal justice degree can lead you to more jobs than traditional routes like a police officer or detective.

Many criminal justice degree programs include training in fast-growing fields like information security, cybersecurity, data analysis, and other skill sets that are in vogue with employers across the country. A criminal justice degree can also help you land opportunities in counseling and advocacy by familiarizing students with the law and the legal system.

While not every criminal justice career requires a bachelor’s degree, the specialized training of a criminal justice degree program can lead you to jobs like information security analyst, managerial positions in the emergency management field, and even highly specialized positions in areas like forensic science and accounting.

Explore this list for a small selection of jobs available with a criminal justice degree.

Other Possible Careers

A criminal justice degree can also lead to a host of jobs at all levels of government and across the criminal justice system, from being an agent with a federal law enforcement agency to working as an advocate for crime survivors.

• Bounty Hunter: Bounty hunters, usually hired by bail bond agents, pursue defendants out of custody on bond who don't appear in court, in exchange for a percentage of a bond amount. Bounty hunters typically receive a percentage of a defendant’s bond in exchange for returning them to the authorities.
• Criminal Profiler: Criminal profilers use evidence to construct a profile of a suspect for serious crimes. These highly trained experts can aid law enforcement in investigations by creating a psychological profile of a suspect based on patterns in their behavior and evidence left at a crime scene. A criminal profiler working as a special agent for the FBI would likely start at the agency's GS-10 pay grade, which as of 2022 ran between $51,864 and $67,425.
• DEA Agent: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents investigate drug trafficking in the United States and abroad. They are typically hired at the GS-07 or GS-09 pay grade, but can progress to the GS-13 grade — which brings a top pay of $105,579 yearly.
• FBI Agent: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents investigate a broad variety of crime, and also work across the agency in areas like fingerprinting, public affairs, and crime labs. Special agents are typically hired at the GS-10 pay grade, which as of 2022 ran between $51,864 and $67,425.
• Homicide Detective: Homicide detectives investigate suspicious deaths, interview suspects and witnesses, process crime scenes, and make arrests. Pay is based on the location and the law enforcement agency that a homicide detective is working for. Homicide detectives have typically worked in law enforcement for some time before rising to the high-demand role of conducting murder investigations.
• Jail Screener: Screeners can come in multiple forms in the corrections system, including checking for contraband when people are incarcerated and brought into a jail or prison, as well as conducting interviews and mental health assessments of incarcerated people.
• Park Ranger: Rangers work for local, state, and national parks, and can take on a wide variety of roles, from greeting visitors to ensuring historical locations are protected. A park ranger with the U.S. Department of the Interior, for instance, can span from an entry-level tour guide to a senior level regional director managing multiple parks or refuges.
• Prison Warden: A warden is tasked with supervising an entire jail or prison. That includes ensuring people incarcerated at the prison, visitors, and corrections officers themselves are safe, secure, and following rules and regulations.
• U.S. Postal Inspector: The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service. Postal inspectors are federal law enforcement agents who collect and analyze evidence to investigate crimes related to the Postal Service, keep postal facilities safe, and respond to disasters.
• Victim Advocate: Victim advocates provide resources and counseling to survivors of crimes. Those resources can include referral to emergency shelters, help with travel to court, information about the legal system, and mental health counseling services.

Criminal Justice Career Path Fields

Many criminal justice jobs fall under broad fields like corrections, law enforcement, courts, and emergency management — but the interdisciplinary field includes a span of specialized options.

Here’s an overview of some of the areas you might pursue within the larger field of criminal justice.

Corrections

Corrections officers, counselors, and other people within the corrections field typically work in jails and prisons as part of rehabilitation for incarcerated people. Jobs in corrections involve working with incarcerated people in prison, both in terms of keeping prisons safe and secure and in providing services like counseling, job training, and other rehabilitative efforts. This can also include corrections officers and counselors who work with people after their release from jail or prison.

Courts and Legal

Court reporters, mediators, attorneys, and paralegals are just some of the professionals who work directly within the field of criminal and civil courts. The civil and criminal court system, and the massive apparatus of support services that surround it, provide a number of opportunities for people with a criminal justice degree and intersect with almost every aspect of the field.

Emergency Management

Whether it’s as a first responder or as a senior emergency management director, people who work in the field of emergency management form a critical lifeline for responding to both natural and man-made disasters. These jobs come at both the state, local, and federal level, and include a wide variety of agencies that come together to handle all levels of disasters and emergencies.

Forensic Science

Forensic science is a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary field. A forensic scientist might analyze evidence in a crime lab, or specialize in analyzing financial information to become a forensic accountant. Demand for these analytical, evidence-based professionals within the field of forensic science remains high as government agencies and businesses alike embrace forensic experts.

Homeland Security

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is responsible for responding for public security and responding to both domestic and international threats. The agency has a number of roles available across its numerous agencies, including law enforcement roles, emerging cybersecurity careers, and other support roles.

Law Enforcement

Whether you want to work as a police officer or climb the ranks to be a detective, or move into an even more specialized role such as a security analyst for a law enforcement agency, this field includes a number of opportunities for criminal justice majors. Law enforcement means responding to and preventing crime through community outreach, prevention efforts, and investigations.

Private Sector

A criminal justice degree can also open up jobs for you in non-governmental, private sector roles. Specializing in cybersecurity or data analytics, for instance, may open up opportunities in a rapidly growing field as businesses look to shore up their customers’ data against potential threats. A number of businesses also have use for people with analytical investigative skills, particularly in the insurance and healthcare industries.

Frequently Asked Questions About Criminal Justice Careers