Careers in Criminal Justice, Second Edition prepares you to plan, pursue, and realize your career goals—from conception through the hiring process. Coy H. Johnston’s contemporary approach emphasizes self-reflection and pragmatism in the pursuit of self-fulfillment and professionalism. With coverage of over forty careers in policing, courts, corrections, and victim services, you receive a comprehensive overview of the most popular and growing careers in the field. Self-assessment tools enhance your self-awareness and steer you toward realistic and suitable careers in criminal justice. This easy-to-read guide is organized to prepare and encourage growth throughout your career. New to the Second Edition: A new chapter titled “Volunteering and Internship” (Chapter 9) guides you through the important process of early involvement in the field to create a more enticing resume. Three new “Guest Speaker” profiles offer you new perspectives and practical advice on a variety of careers and geographical areas. New career assessment tools are included to help you evaluate your compatibility with various careers in the criminal justice field. Expanded information about critical areas such as private prisons, careers in the judiciary, and resume building ensures that you are receiving a balanced introduction to criminal justice careers.
This book explores the criminal justice career landscape by providing a glimpse into the different criminal justice careers and provides advice as to how to prepare to enter those career fields. This book includes personal profiles that exemplify real work in the criminal justice profession; these have been written by current employees, some retired and some by exemplary leaders in the field.
Career Guide in Criminal Justice is the guide to getting hired and working in the criminal justice system. Featuring a straightforward and accessible writing style, it covers the three main components of the criminal justice system--law enforcement, courts, and corrections--discussing career opportunities in local, state, and federal government along with those in the private sector. The book also looks at careers in private investigations, the bond industry, forensic psychology, cybersecurity, and other related fields. Douglas Klutz helps students develop practical skills including succeeding as a student in higher education, acting ethically and professionally, writing cover letters and résumés, securing internships, preparing for interviews, and effective networking and career-building strategies. In addition, he addresses many of the common myths related to working in the criminal justice system, offering students invaluable real-world guidance.
More than a century of scientific research has indicated that the majority of crime that occurs in society is committed by a small percentage of the population, meaning that most criminals are repeat offenders, or "career criminals." If societies devoted considerable resources toward preventing and neutralizing career criminals, there would be dramatic reductions in crime, the fear of crime, and the assorted costs and collateral consequences of crime. Career Criminals in Society examines the small but dangerous group of repeat offenders who are most damaging to society. The book encourages readers to think critically about the causes of criminal behavior and the potential of the criminal justice system to reduce crime. Author Matt DeLisi draws upon his own practitioner experience, interviewing criminal defendants to argue that career criminals can be combated only with a combination of prevention efforts and retributive criminal justice system policies. Key Features Uses an engaging writing style to provide a comprehensive overview of career criminals Provides chapter-opening vignettes developed from real criminal cases Examines various crime prevention strategies to neutralize criminal careers Explores the international relevance of career criminals Draws upon research from the fields of criminal justice, criminology, psychology, sociology, and human development With its controversial, thought-provoking style, Career Criminals in Society is sure to advance theory and research on chronic offenders and inspire discussions on how to adequately control crime. It is an excellent supplementary textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses on criminology, criminal behavior, crime typologies, deviant behavior, and crime control and prevention.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR I have a head full of information, not all of which is useful. It bothers me that the lyrics for Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, I've Got Love in My Tummy are taking up room that could be occupied by something more life-relevant. Still, I've often found myself the person people come to when they want to know something, but aren't sure where to find it, and I enjoy providing that service. Quora is a great outlet for people like me. I stumbled on the site a little more than a year ago, and almost 600 answered questions later, there's enough material for a book. Law enforcement is a passion for me, not for the power trip or the adrenaline rush, but because it can be a truly noble vocation when done right. People depend on law enforcement officers to protect them from predators, see that the bad guys are held to account for their acts, and establish order out of chaos. The authority that cops have is a sacred public trust. Most officers carry out their duties proudly and honorably, but there will always be a few who abuse that trust. The short essays here are about both sides of that issue. These answers are also about separating some of the myths of police work from the reality. There have been so many dramatic depictions of law enforcement, some of them very realistic and others that seem realistic, that people tend to believe they know how cops work and why they do what they do. Here, I've tried to give you the straight scoop, knowledge accumulated from my own experience and from knowing cops from all over the country and the world. Some of it isn't flattering, but otherwise it wouldn't be honest. I hope you enjoy and benefit from these insights into police work. Tim Dees EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Is It TRUE That Parking Patrol Officers Can NOT Stop Writing A Ticket Once They Have Started? Some agencies do in fact have a policy that an officer, police, parking or otherwise, can't discard a citation once they have started writing it. Virtually all of them have some process for voiding a citation issued in error once the citation has been issued, but this process is carefully monitored to prevent abuse. Absent a monitored process, the system is easily manipulated. Someone makes a call to a person in the police department who has influence, and that person contacts the officer who issued the ticket. They persuade the officer to void the ticket. If the voided ticket appears to be correct in format, e.g. license plate matches the vehicle description, violation is appropriate for that location, etc. then whoever is in charge of reviewing the voided citations is supposed to follow up and find out if the citation was voided for a legitimate reason or as a favor to someone. Most of the time, when the issuing officer has started the citation form (and many of them are generated via handheld computer these days) and the violator runs up and asks them to stop, the violation is legitimate, and the officer has already looked around for the driver of the vehicle. The typical complaint is "but I was just gone for a minute" (which may or may not be true). In any event, there is seldom a provision in the law for parking there for a minute-you aren't supposed to park there at all. So, in short, it's usually true that the officer is not supposed to stop once they have begun issuing the citation. Buy the book to read more!
By focusing attention on individuals rather than on aggregates, this book takes a novel approach to studying criminal behavior. It develops a framework for collecting information about individual criminal careers and their parameters, reviews existing knowledge about criminal career dimensions, presents models of offending patterns, and describes how criminal career information can be used to develop and refine criminal justice policies. In addition, an agenda for future research on criminal careers is presented.
California¿s Criminal Justice System, Third Edition, shares the history, purpose, structure, and procedures of California¿s criminal justice system. It begins with conversations about the state of crime in California, the demographics of crime, and the practices of legislative actions and direct democracy in creating state laws. The book includes discussions of criminal justice policies as well as criminal justice institutions such as policing, courts, corrections, and the juvenile justice system. Each chapter is authored by an expert in the field and highlights some of the current issues, challenges, and controversies facing California¿s criminal justice system. The authors also highlight some of the current criminal justice policies and controversies within the state, including gun policy, sex crime policy, drug policy, capital punishment, realignment, gangs, and victims¿ rights. In addition, the authors include discussions on a variety of different employment opportunities related to criminal justice and the occupational outlook for these positions. This text is appropriate for undergraduate students in introductory courses on criminal justice, law, and government, and can be used either as a supplemental text or as a stand-alone resource for students.
The purpose of this book is to address the proper preparation for careers in criminal justice. Now more than ever, there is a societal demand for willing college graduates who are prepared to enter the field at the basic level, and eager to develop themselves into positions of responsibility and leadership. Due to rapid and continuous changes in technology and overall society, students entering the field of criminal justice employment will be expected to adjust to changes in their line of work. This book describes the realistic descriptions of the various entry-level positions that are offered, and practical information is provided to maximize efficiency in the selection of academic courses that will improve a student's likelihood of success during the application process. Major topics include: A Short History of Criminal Justice as an Academic Study; The Nature of Professions; Electives that Will Help; The Importance of an Internship; Disqualifiers and What to Avoid During College Years; Stereotypes and Misperceptions in Criminal Justice Employment; Careers in Law Enforcement, Corrections, and Private Security; Graduate School and Law School; Realistic Alternatives; Networking, Looking for Employment Leads, and References; Preparing for Testing and the Interview; Preparing for Transfers to Specialized Units and Promotions; and the Roles of Nontraditional Students, Minorities, and Women in Criminal Justice. The names of state law enforcement training councils, federal law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, state regulatory agencies, federal regulatory agencies, and criminal justice professional associations are contained in the Appendices to assist students and faculty members. This valuable resource is designed to assist college students majoring in criminal justice, police academics, and law enforcement professionals.
Explores the career opportunities in the field of public safety, provides a detailed look at eight specific occupations, discussing education and training needed, skills required and salary ranges, and offers advice on steps to prepare for a career.
"This book provides readers with information covering all aspects of the criminal justice system in the state of Georgia. Sections include: crime in Georgia; substantive and procedural law; Georgia law enforcement, court systems, and corrections; juvenile justice in Georgia; Georgia's response to crime victims; and criminal justice education in Georgia. This text is appropriate for introductory courses in criminal justice, criminology, law enforcement, courts, corrections, and juvenile justice, as well as upper level courses in these same areas"--
