Criminal Justice

A wide range of careers are available in criminal justice. Examples include police officers and forensic science technicians in law enforcement; lawyers, judges, and bailiffs in the judicial system; and correctional officers, probation officers, and social workers in corrections/rehabilitation. Opportunities are available for people with a wide range of educational backgrounds. For example, police officers and detectives must have at least a high school diploma or equivalent, and then complete training at a law enforcement academy. Some employers require that applicants have completed college coursework or have an associate's or bachelor's degree. Lawyers need a law degree, and judges typically have law degrees and extensive work experience as lawyers. Paralegals and legal assistants typically need an associate’s degree or certificate (usually in paralegal studies). A high school diploma, plus on-the-job training, are required to become correctional officers and bailiffs. Correctional treatment specialists and probation officers typically need a bachelor's degree. Social workers must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work, while social and human service assistants often have a minimum of a high school diploma and also complete short, on-the-job training.

More than 1.1 million law enforcement workers are employed in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Over 1.2 million people work in legal services (including those who do not work in the criminal justice system), and there are approximately 351,400 correctional officers. Nearly 86,000 probation officers and correctional treatment specialists are employed in the U.S., and tens of thousands of people work in other criminal justice–related positions.

Wages for criminal justice professionals range widely based on their employment sector. Workers in all protective service occupations (including those outside of criminal justice) earned median annual wages of $47,760 in May 2023. This was slightly lower than the median annual wage for all occupations of $48,060. On the other hand, those in legal occupations earned median annual wages of $99,220, with lawyers and judges receiving the highest salaries. Community and social service workers earned median annual salaries of $52,000.

Some criminal justice careers consistently rank high on "best job" lists. For example, U.S. News & World Report creates an annual list of the 100 best jobs in the United States. Occupations that rank high on its list offer a good work/life balance, low or manageable stress levels, excellent pay, and strong employment prospects with lots of jobs available. In 2024, U.S. News ranked the career of lawyer as the 17th-best occupation and the occupation of paralegal as the 74th-best career. Visit https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs to learn more. On the other hand, some jobs—such as police officer and correctional officer—are very stressful and sometimes dangerous, which prompts many to leave these fields to pursue other careers.

The long-term outlook for careers in criminal justice is good because police officers, lawyers, judges, prison guards, social workers, drug rehabilitation workers, and others in this field provide a necessary service to the public. There will always be crime, a need to bring people to justice (and to establish the innocence of others), and a need to help those who have been convicted of crimes return to a productive and crime-free life.