career exploration research paper for criminal justice
rehamhamed
CareerExplorationReport11.docx
Jen J. Student
CJA 1100-D01
February 12, 2020
Professor Fantuzzi
Career Exploration Report
Law
Organization – National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)
Web Site - https://www.nacdl.org
Position Title – Criminal Defense Attorney/Criminal Lawyer
Typical Job Duties – Typically work 40 hours/week but longer hours are common. Work hours are irregular due to the demand to work evenings or weekends. Criminal defense lawyers travel to courtrooms, law libraries, hospitals, prisons, offices, etc. Research and case preparation are the two main duties performed outside of the actual trials. Criminal defense lawyers examine evidence, laws and statues, and past judicial rulings in order to build up their arguments.
Job Duties & You – One way that the typical job duties of a Criminal Defense Lawyer relate to myself is that I am used to working around 40 – 45 hours a week while also working weekends and evenings; however, the atmosphere and environment that surrounds Criminal Defense Lawyers is the one negative aspect of this career choice. With this career choice, the typical office would be traveling to extremely negative and harsh environments; for example, prisons and hospitals.
Hiring Requirements – Many Criminal Defense Lawyers either team up with a firm when they are first starting out; however, a majority go off on their own and open their own firm. To
continue to grow in the career choice, however, the education and experience is what tends to boost the recognition of a Criminal Defense Lawyer.
Preparation – Obtain an undergraduate pre-law degree, pass the LSAT (Law School Admission Test), go to law school, take and pass the TN state bar exam, become a licensed TN lawyer.
Salary & Benefits - $127,700/year; four weeks PTO per year, ten paid holidays per year, life and AD&D insurance, long term disability insurance, long term care plan available, 401(k) plan, up to 12 weeks disability/parental leave, emergency day care, comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans including domestic partner coverage.
Promotion – Many lawyers finishing their graduate studies try to find a firm to get hired by and will typically start as an associate working with other experienced lawyers; after a few years, some lawyers may be offered a position to partner with the firm. However, the competition to find a firm to partner with is increasing with the rate of students graduating with a degree in law. Other options may look like pursuing master or doctorate degrees in areas specific to an area of specialization. This may look like becoming a full-time faculty member at a law school. Law students can also seek alternative careers as paralegal works, government lawyer, real estate broker, freelance attorney, journalist, politics, etc.
Profiler
Organization – Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Web Site - https://www.fbi.gov
Position Title - Profiler
Typical Job Duties – Criminal profilers review evidence at crime scenes trying to figure out how a crime particularly took place. This evidence helps profilers determine the details surrounding the suspect; such as a person’s height, their dominant hand, what size shoe they wear, etc. Profilers may work within a police department, the federal government, or as an independent consultant. Profilers research and analyze case files at the request of the police, attorneys, or the victim’s family. After, the profilers offer their opinion on the type of suspect they should be looking for.
Job Duties & You – One thing that I see from the typical job duties that I am familiar with is the interaction with families but in different circumstances as to what profilers are accustomed to. One downfall to this, however, is that it would be easy to find yourself becoming attached to a case, situation, or family through the emotions.
Hiring Requirements – Bachelor’s degree in either criminal justice or psychology, with a graduate degree in forensic psychology is helpful.
Preparation – Those interested in becoming a criminal profiler should obtain a bachelor’s degree in psychology, social sciences, criminal justice or behavioral science. Going on to receive a graduate degree in forensic psychology may be beneficial.
Salary & Benefits – As of May 2015, the median salary for criminal profilers was $79,870/year, however, federal government employees earned a mean salary of $105,470/year.
Promotion – To become a part of the FBI, one must apply to the FBI and go through the interview process and then complete the FBI Academy. There is really no one course of action to take in order to be promoted through to a particular desired spot in the FBI.
Corrections
Organization – Tennessee Department of Correction
Web Site - https://www.tn.gov
Position Title – Correctional Officer
Typical Job Duties – Typically, correctional officers are responsible for enforcing rules and keeping order, supervising the activities of inmates, searching for contraband items, inspecting facilities to ensure that they meet standards, reporting on inmate conduct, and aiding in rehabilitation and counseling of offenders.
Job Duties & You – These duties resonate with me just on a more laid-back spectrum since I was a teacher for elementary aged children during after school hours. I think that is what would make this career choice hard; the atmosphere you are willingly choosing to put yourself in every single day, the danger that is surrounding the job. Correctional officers are always having to be on their toes.
Hiring Requirements – To be hired as a correctional officer, one must go through the written examination and qualifications assessment. This is to determine whether applicants have the basic skills to perform the functions of an officer. The prospective correctional officer will typically be tested in reading comprehension and deductive reasoning, situational judgment and reasoning skills, arithmetic/basic mathematics, memory and observational skills, and verbal reasoning. Then the applicant must go through the physical fitness test which consists of a 500-yard run course, carry two 45-pound weights, carry one 45-pound weight, push up test, sit up test, and 1.5 mile run. Then the applicant will have to go through a background investigation.
Preparation – The most beneficial route an applicant can take is obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and have prior work experience in the field in some way.
Salary & Benefits – As of May 2012, the median annual wage for correctional officers and jailers was $39,040. The lowest 10% earned less than $27,000 and the top 10% earned more than $69,610. When the correctional officer is employed in a government run facility, they are eligible to participate in the benefit programs sponsored by that level of government. For federal and state workers this usually means excellent health insurance and retirement benefits.
Promotion – to get promoted within corrections, one must earn the degrees necessary that will help secure higher leadership positions. It also brings experience to the table.
Conclusion
After researching and learning about each of these careers, it’s hard to put them in order starting with my first choice. Putting them in order, I would choose to have a career in Profiling first, Corrections second, and Law last. When it comes to the reasoning, a Profiler is a career that feels like I’m learning the most about with my Law major and my minor in Criminology. I feel almost at a tie with both Profiling and Corrections only because I feel like I know the most about those two from my studies here at MTSU. I feel like I would be adequate at learning and improving in both of those careers; however, the environment of the career matters too making Profiling, in my opinion, not as harsh of an environment as a Correctional Officer who is stationed in an atmosphere that is strictly enforcing rules and maintaining order with inmates and offenders. That is where the disconnect with that career comes in for me. As a Profiler, the environment is still just as harsh with continuously being around a crime scene and putting yourself in a negative and shocking situation.
As of right now, there are plenty of things that I would need to learn and experience before entering into a career of profiling or one of the other researched fields. The most obvious thing I would need to do to prepare myself is go on to obtain at least a master’s degree in forensic psychology or criminology. I know forensic psychology is a world that you can manipulate your way into depending on your experience whether that is in the work field or your education. For example, I will be graduating with my bachelor’s in Criminal Justice from MTSU and I have plans to go on to obtain my master’s in Criminology remaining here at MTSU. I can combine my two degrees together to start at the beginning and start to build my resume through volunteering and building connections within the career field. Like many criminal justice careers, the opportunity to reach a high annual salary depends on experience and where exactly you are employed along with a little luck and who you know. When one is employed by the federal government, the pay is higher yet so is the responsibility that is carried.
Outlook
References
Correctional Officer. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.tn.gov/correction/eo/choose-a-career/correctional-officer.html
NACDL. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nacdl.org/
What is a Profiler with the FBI's National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fbiagentedu.org/careers/intelligence/fbi-profiler/
