Why Major in Criminal Justice?
For me, criminal justice is a major opportunity to do what I love. In fact, I enjoy working with children and upon completion of my degree, I would like to get into juvenile justice. The specific career path I would like to get into is a juvenile justice officer. Criminal justice is a field that is very intensive and is constantly growing. So the market for opportunity and jobs is tremendous! I think something that aided me in choosing this decision is knowing the career path that I wanted to do. I know that I love kids and that helping them in their youth to grow up to have great future is something that I care about. So I know criminal justice is the avenue for me.
Below is research I did before coming here and some research is from this Prezi assignment.
KSU Catalog
“The Criminal Justice system is an institution that is at the crux of societal concern. When individuals are asked to define major social problems, the fear of and response to crime are found at the top of the list. People not only want to have a better understanding of these problems; many also want to become a part of the solution. It is these individuals who will be the primary beneficiaries of the Criminal Justice major at KSU” (Kennesaw State University).
Program Highlights
The criminal justice program at Kennesaw State offers various options:
Bachelor of Arts (123 credit hours)
Masters of Science (36 credit hours)
Minor in Criminal Justice (18 hours)
Source: (Kennesaw State University)
What do Criminal Justice Majors Do?
“A degree in criminal justice is solid preparation for many careers. While many criminal justice majors indicate a preference for law enforcement, others find careers in prisons, community corrections, or court administration. Government positions in criminal justice are available at the local, county, state and federal levels, and private security is a growing and important source of jobs for criminal justice students” (Florida National University).
Views from Inside the Discipline: An Introductory Textbook
The material in this textbook is revolved around the police, courts, and corrections. The book talks about the police and what they can and cannot do. The book is able to talk about court decisions and how they have subsequently impacted the criminal justice arena. The correctional agency deals with the incarceration of people in jails and prisons. This book is able to give a general overview of all of these concepts without going too much in depth as upper division classes deals with the specifics in this discipline of these three entities.
One of the major concepts discussed in this book is what makes up the element of a crime. For a crime to be committed mens rea, actus reus, and causation. Mens rea is the mental state of the defendant and their intent in the commission of a crime. Actus reus is the actual conduct. That means that thoughts about killing someone does not constitute a crime, but the actual conduct of killing constitutes a crime. Many crimes include an element that actual harm must occur which means that causation must occur (Schmallenger).
Works Cited
Florida National University. The Criminal Justice Handbook. n.d. Document.
Kennesaw State University. Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. 14 February 2016. 14 February 2016. <http://scj.hss.kennesaw.edu/programs/bscj/>.
Schmallenger, Frank. Criminal Justice Today. 12th Edition. Prentice Hall, 2011. Book.
