Criminal Justice and Criminology Career Paths – Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center

Are you interested in criminal justice, the American criminal justice system or law enforcement? This is another area of the legal field which differs from traditional law practice and may require diving into a specialized criminal justice program before pursuing a career. Popular careers which criminal justice professionals may want to pursue are:

Federal, state, county, and municipal law enforcement
Homeland security and leadership development
Private security and investigation
Probation, parole and community corrections officers
Law school*

*Please keep in mind that the only requirement to enter law school is a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. Current law students may pursue criminal justice careers without a specific Criminal Justice degree.

Criminal Justice Criminal Justice Programs Criminology

Criminal Justice

America’s overarching system of police, courts, and jails
Focused on law enforcement and its procedural aspects rather than its impact on greater society (criminology)
Includes government institutions aimed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime and sanctioning those who violate laws
Lawyers may also be part of the criminal justice system in a wide range of law jobs
- State or federal prosecution
- Private criminal defense attorneys
- Police officers at local law enforcement agencies
- Correctional/probation officers
- Academic professors
Degrees offer courses that build foundational skills in
- Management
- Personnel administration
- Program evaluation
- Research methods

Criminal Justice Programs

BA in Sociology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, with a Concentration in Criminology, Deviance, and Social Control

Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior, including rule making, breaking, and enforcement
Can specialize in criminology and criminal justice through UHM Sociology's concentration in criminology, deviance, and social control
Offers sixteen undergraduate courses on crime, criminal justice, and the law more broadly
Faculty includes criminology and criminal justice scholars who explore social construction, regulation, and consequences of crime and deviance, including official and unofficial policing, court-processing, and punishment.

Contact:

Dr. Barbara Joyce

socadvis@hawaii.edu

B.A. in Public Administration, Concentration in Justice Administration, University of Hawaii at West Oahu

Learn to apply the principles of justice administration to local, state, and federal justice systems
- How to identify and evaluate problems, policy dilemmas and solutions
Many students continue their education and go on to law school or pursue a master’s degree in criminal justice

Contacts:

Dr. Gary Helfand, Professor

(808) 689-2363

helfand@hawaii.edu

Dr. Michael Hallstone, Professor

(808) 689-2362

hallstone@hawaii.edu

M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration, Chaminade University

Offers tracks focused on either Correctional or Law Enforcement paths
Hybrid track available for students interested in the inter-workings of the entire criminal justice system (both law enforcement and corrections)
- Most accommodating to those interested in the pursuit of a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice or seeking entry into law school

Contact:

Ronald Becker

rbecker@chaminade.edu

Honolulu Police Department

Independently performs a variety of law enforcement, crime prevention, investigative and other specialized police work
- Patrolling an assigned area on foot or in a mobile device
- Directing and controlling traffic
- Making arrests
- Responding to any type of emergencies
- Maintaining order
- Rendering first aid
- Preserves evidence
- Detains suspected violators of the laws

The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) recruits individuals and welcomes them to apply for police officer candidacy.

Minimum qualifications for a hopeful Honolulu Police Officer are:

At least 20 years of age
High school graduate or G.E.D.
Valid State of Hawaii Driver’s License
Must meet federal and state requirements for carrying firearms
Citizen, national, or permanent resident alien of the United States. Non-citizen with unrestricted employment authorization from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may also apply

Thousands of applicants dive into the application cycle, which takes approximately 6-8 months to complete due to its many steps and requirements.

Multiple-choice Civil Service exam
Background checks
Psychological exams
Physical fitness test
Comprehensive medical exams
Truth verification

Criminology

“The study of crime”
Uses behavioral sciences to analyze and identify the causes of crime and devise methods for its prevention
Criminal behavior as an individual’s specific behavior, but also as a broad social phenomenon
Academic discipline
- Bears most resemblance to a sociologist – or, someone paid to do academic research on human social behavior
Some of the skills used involve:
- Designing research projects to test theories about social issues
- Collecting data through observations, interviews, and other sources
- Preparing reports, articles, or presentations detailing their research findings
- Advising clients, policymakers, or other groups on research findings and sociological issues

According to the BLS, most criminology-related jobs are government or nonprofit researcher positions and postsecondary instructors or professors

Predicts a 15% growth rate between 2012 to 2022
- Only about 400 new jobs over the 10-year period
  - Very competitive job market
More on job outlook for sociologists