Careers in Law & Criminal Justice

The latest trends show that job prospects for those interested in law enforcement and criminal justice will gradually expand in the next decade, at 5% by 2021. Many officers will be retiring from their existing positions in police services, leading to a demand for highly qualified professionals. If you join federal criminal justice, work settings will include working at specific government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, IRS, DEA, etc. By contrast, finding employment with federal law enforcement can vary widely, e.g. you may be tracking down a drug trafficking ring as a DEA agent, conducting research at a forensics lab, or working as a county sheriff at the sheriff’s department. You can look into many career options. As a crime scene investigator, your job would be evaluating crime scenes and making observations alongside a team of detectives or police officers. By contrast, you would be working on court cases and taking on clients at a law firm, if you become a lawyer. You may become a parole officer if you like the challenge of working with criminal offenders and overseeing their rehabilitation into society.