This section and those that follow provide brief descriptions of several career paths within and connected to criminal justice. There are career opportunities in the  non-profit, private and government worlds, in legal services and advocacy in law enforcement and corrections, in social work, psychology and psychiatry, and more. These careers involve a wide range of educational requirements. Some require licensing, credentialing, and specialized training, and these requirements may vary by state. These professions vary in their ability to offer flexibility and work-life balance. It is important to consider these variables when you are first entering the field to determine which career path fits best.The criminal justice field has two broad phases. The first phase serves to hold people who have committed crimes accountable and uphold the law while also providing support for victims impacted by crime. The second phase involves the management and rehabilitation of people who have been convicted of committing a crime. The criminal justice field has many areas in which a person can build a career. The choice among these areas depends on what aspect of the criminal justice field you find most appealing or rewarding, as well as what roles suit your goals in terms of educational investment and day-to-day job activities. To learn more about the various careers in the criminal justice field, see the video in figure 10.1.

Figure 10.1. Law, Public Safety, and Corrections Overview | Career Cluster/Industry Video Series [YouTube Video]. This two-minute video introduces you to the broad range of careers in criminal justice.

10.2.1 Law Enforcement Officer

Law enforcement officers work to serve and protect the community by performing a variety of public safety duties – performing traffic stops, investigating crimes, and responding to problems and crises in the community. Local law enforcement careers generally involve working for a city, county or state, for a sheriff’s office or police department. Many police bureaus have specialized units that focus on particular tasks or needs. For example, a community with high rates of gun violence may have a specialized unit focusing on decreasing crimes involving firearms. An example that is especially relevant to this text is the Portland Police Bureau’s Behavioral Health Unit. As discussed in more depth in Chapter 5, this unit encourages officers with interest in mental health crisis management to engage in further training in this area – allowing the Bureau as a whole to better serve the community.

Law enforcement also occurs at the federal level, operating on behalf of the United States government in specific districts throughout the country. Federal law enforcement agencies include: the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Marshal Service (USM), the Fish and Wildlife Service, Homeland Security, and the U.S. Secret Service.

Law enforcement officers are sometimes required to have a bachelor’s degree to serve, or even graduate degrees and other personal qualifications (for example, to serve as a special agent at the FBI) but often the educational requirement is lower to work for local police departments. For example, only a high school diploma or GED is required to work at the Portland Police Bureau (PPB).

10.2.2 Probation Officer and Pre-Trial Officer

Probation and pre-trial officers work for the courts and ensure that a person under criminal supervision adheres to court-imposed conditions of release from custody. Pre-trial and probation officers can work for state, county, or federal courts.

Pre-trial and probation officers are responsible for monitoring persons under supervision, connecting them to resources to reintegrate them into the community, and following up with community agencies to ensure engagement in court-ordered services. A pre-trial officer supervises someone prior to their conviction and sentencing, whereas a probation officer supervises someone after they have been convicted and released into the community

Generally, a person under supervision begins working with a pre-trial officer after they have appeared before a judge for an initial appearance. If the person has been found suitable for supervision in the community, they are released from custody and supervised by a pre-trial officer while they await sentencing.

A probation officer generally meets with a person under supervision immediately after sentencing, if they are not committed to a term of imprisonment. Once released from custody, the person under supervision is directed to immediately report to their probation officer.

Both pre-trial and probation officers are responsible for community safety while also assisting the person under supervision in meeting their goals. These supervisory roles often involve the provision  of case management services. Case management services may include connecting the supervised individual to referrals, engaging in community collaboration, and staffing needs of the case to trusted community resources.  Examples of these services include assisting someone to locate housing, connecting someone to necessary treatment, or finding a resource that can provide food, clothes, and toiletries to someone in need.

Progress and conduct are reported by pre-trial and probation officers to the sentencing judge for the person under supervision. The Court is provided with the officer’s recommendations and attorneys for the person and for the state may weigh in on possible consequences and solutions; however, the judge makes the ultimate decision regarding a supervised person’s freedom to remain in the community.

Generally  probation and pretrial officers are required to have at least a bachelor’s degree  in some form of social science, for example psychology, and a master’s degree is preferred. Different probation offices have varying requirements for employment.  For instance, federal probation officers must undergo an extensive background check, which includes an interview with an investigator.  The investigator then interviews a variety of people in the probation officer’s life.  Examples include, but are not limited to family, friends, past supervisors, neighbors, past romantic partners, etc.  Depending on the district, county or state, some probation officers have the option to carry a firearm if they can maintain proper qualifications required to carry.  These qualifications generally include passing a physical exam, on-going training, and frequent qualification tests with their firearm at a shooting range.

10.2.3 Prison and Jail Staff

Prisons and jails are staffed with a wide range of professionals. Prisons and jails are essentially small communities within a controlled environment. Career opportunities within or closely connected to these facilities may include counselors, reentry case managers, medication prescribers, psychologists, treatment/education program managers, and correctional officers. Many of these roles are discussed in more detail in the next section, on mental health related careers.

Correctional officers are responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the correctional facility. Correctional officers have oversight of the prison and jail inmate population and work to reduce or prevent any security risks. For instance, correctional officers may separate certain prison gangs and high profile incarcerated people to mitigate risks in the facility. In addition, correctional officers are responsible for maintaining order to reduce the risk of riots and escapes from the correctional facility. Lastly, correctional officers are responsible for keeping incarcerated people safe from others in the correctional facility.

With respect to people with mental disorders, who are present in high numbers in jails and prisons, corrections officers have special duties and obligations. For example, where a person is experiencing a mental illness and needs medication, a corrections officer has the responsibility to identify and inform a mental health professional working in the facility.  Similar if an incarcerated person has threatened or seems to be at risk of self-harm or suicide, a corrections officer’s duty is to identify concerning behavior and report this to the appropriate professionals to assess for risk to ensure safety. A correctional officer’s main duty is to keep the facility and people in it safe.  This includes making sure behavioral health professionals are aware when someone with a mental disorder needs additional evaluation or stabilization.

Correctional officers have enormous power in the facilities where they are employed – in contrast to the accused and convicted residents, who have very little power and great vulnerability. Officers have the ability to leave and enter the correctional facility – as well as to make decisions and take actions that deeply impact the people they supervise. This power differential is critical to recognize and manage properly. It is essential for correctional officers to maintain consistent and professional boundaries with incarcerated people, both to avoid jeopardizing the security of the facility and to maintain the safety of the incarcerated person.

10.2.4 Residential Reentry Staff

Residential reentry centers hiring a variety of staff to manage these centers.  Residential reentry centers are housing facilities specifically for people reentering the community post-incarceration. Substance use counselors, mental health therapists, case managers, nurses, and security staff often make up residential centers.  Working in a residential center is similar work to a jail or prison, however the residents of these centers have fewer restrictions.  Residential reentry centers generally range in size, structure, and accessibility. For instance, some residential reentry centers are co-ed facilities, while others are gender-specific. A residential reentry center is a combination of housing and programming to assist someone transitioning out of a controlled environment.

10.2.5 Paralegal, Lawyer and Judge

A paralegal generally assists lawyers with various administrative tasks, as well as legal tasks under supervision. Paralegals can be employed in all of the areas where lawyers work, as discussed below, and they can be critical members of the legal team in and outside of the criminal justice arena. Education requirements for paralegals generally include a paralegal certification, an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree. The level of education and experience held by a paralegal may dictate the complexity of the work entrusted to them.

A lawyer may practice law in a variety of settings, including in or related to the criminal justice system. Lawyers in the criminal justice system may work at the state, county, or federal level as defense attorneys, representing people accused of crimes, or as prosecutors, making charging decisions and proving criminal cases on behalf of the state or federal government. Defense attorneys can be court-appointed public defenders representing accused people who cannot afford to hire an attorney themselves, or they may be privately-retained attorneys paid by the accused person they represent. There are also lawyers who handle legal cases adjacent to the criminal system (such as civil commitment cases, or victims’ rights cases), lawyers who appeal criminal convictions, and lawyers who work to protect the civil rights of people who are harmed by the criminal system. For example, many important rights of prisoners or police detainees (e.g. the right to receive mental health treatment in custody) have been established in the course of lawsuits.

Lawyers must have a bachelor’s degree and attend three years of law school to earn a juris doctor (J.D.) degree. Lawyers must then pass a bar examination in any state in which they wish to practice law.

Most judges also have a law degree and prior experience as lawyers in prosecution, criminal defense, or in civil practice prior to taking the bench. Judges possess this educational and experiential background, and, ideally, have the temperament and wisdom to make decisions on legal matters that impact individuals and the larger community. In addition to presiding over criminal court cases, judges sit on appellate courts and supreme courts – at the state and federal level – and make decisions about criminal justice and related matters that apply to future cases. While judges remain, most often, white and male, increasing racial and gender diversity at this higher level of the legal world offers the promise of increased fairness for people in and connected to the criminal justice system (Figure 10.2).

Figure 10.2 shows a photo of the four women who currently serve as Justices on the Supreme Court of the United States. From left to right they are Amy Coney Barrett, Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Elena Kagan. Of the 116 people who have been appointed to the highest court, only 9 were not white men. The first Black Justice, Thurgood Marshall, was appointed in 1967, and the first woman, Sandra Day O’Connor, was appointed in 1981. Ketanji Brown Jackson was the first Black woman on the Court, as of 2022. Sonia Sotomayor, appointed in 2009, is the first (and only) Latina justice – as well as the only Justice to have a reported disability; she has type 1 diabetes. https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/24/politics/supreme-court-justices-minorities-cec/index.html