CAREER PATHS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Introduction

A career in Criminal justice offers an individual numerous challenges, opportunities and room for growth. The latter paper is a rough draft of what it entails to follow such a line. This information was obtained through a personal interview between myself and a Sergeant in the Department of Corrections. The interviewees name was Sergeant B. Campbell. He has been with the Department of Corrections for a number of years and was also my supervisor during my term of service within the force.

Revelations from the interview
Sergeant Campbell asserted that in order to get to his respective position, a lot of patience and wisdom had to be exercised on the part of the officer. This was because he had always had his eyes on that rank within the Department of Corrections (DOC) but it took a meticulous record and prompt response from his part in order to achieve this. Before discussing how he got his promotion, Sgt. Campbell revealed some information about the process of entering the force. He asserted that there were a series of both physical and mental test that he had to undergo. First of all, he explained how a demonstration of good weapons control was necessary. (Kelly and West Attorneys, 2009)

Physical fitness was another important milestone in this process. He was required to demonstrate that he could run for long distances, do long jumps, push ups, bench presses and even vertical leaps within a short span of time. As if these were not enough an officer in that line is required to demonstrate their mental capabilities through a series of interviews. Here, one is required to show that they are capable of making good decisions under high stress situations since police work my subject one to choose between life or death. Also, high levels of discipline, respect for authority and passion for police work had to be demonstrated.

The Sgt. Also asserted that education and training were important parts of this process. He had a degree in criminal justice and was given extra points for doing a post graduate diploma in accounting. It took a lot of patience for him to enter the force because he was rejected three times. The reasons given were that there were no vacancies within the Department of Corrections at that time and that he had no prior experience.

After gaining admission into the Department of Corrections, the Sgt. warned that all is not over. In fact, this is where the real challenge begun. First of all, he had to maintain his level of physical fitness because any sloppiness in the job could result in a very big repercussion. Additionally, the officer was challenged to lead a clean life because members are subjected to random checks and trials every now and then. On top of these, there was a need to have multitasking abilities since officers are required to make frequent reports of everything that they have done within any given day. The Department of Corrections was a particularly interesting one owing to the fact that one has to come in contact with some dangerous criminals. In certain circumstances, the Sergeant explained dealing with these cases was the most challenging aspect of his career. He added that the situation was particularly tricky owing to the fact that one could not be able to predict another’s reaction within a high stress scenario. In this regard, he asserted that it was indeed difficult for him to handle such situations because if he demonstrated bad judgment, then he would be answerable for it. (Department of Corrections, 2009)

The officer also explained that a good memory was an important part of the job within the correctional department because in certain scenarios, he was expected to testify in the court of law. Therefore a police officer has a lot of responsibility in his hands. If anything like a false accusation is made, then chances are that the individual under trail will miss a chance in justice. Additionally, such kind of conduct could put one’s job on the line after it has been established that there are some problems with the testimony given by a police officer.

The sergeant also asserted that the Department of Corrections has a lot of room for orientation of new police officers. Consequently, one ought no to worry about fitting in. A supervisor is always assigned upon arrival and he/she is responsible for all the social, physical and psychological needs that an officer may have within the line of duty. This implies that all the questions and inquiries that new officers may posses need to be addressed. Also, the supervisor is responsible for ensuring that officers understand their respective duties and they know how to carry them out. (Department of Corrections, 2009)

Being a sergeant also requires a different set of challenges. First of all, one has to be committed to the job because one can get called at any time of the day be it day or night. On top of these, the needs of the unit are always the most important and sometimes, this may come in the way of one’s personal life. In fact, the sergeant asserted that this was one of the most difficult issues that he had to face in his position.

The Department of corrections has a lot of opportunities for growth and all one has to do is to demonstrate that they possess the right kind of qualities to fit into these positions. Being a sergeant within the Department of Corrections requires one to portray managerial skills and may signify potential for filing in other positions. The sergeant position is between the corporal and the officer and here one has the option of deciding between varieties of positions. For instance one can be a first sergeant who is responsible for in house duties one may be any of the other sergeant ranks within the DOC. If one has been placed at a suitable position within promotion lists, then chances are that they would have greater chances of achieving it. Usually, one is subjected to rigorous testing both within the job and outside. It should be noted that the latter Sergeant heightened his chances of promotion by taking part in additional training that was necessary for performance of certain duties.

Sgt. Campbell asserts that the most important part of his job is knowing that he has contributed towards making his country safer by playing his part. He finds great reward in knowing that such a crucial Department relies on his duties and that most of the work he does reflects positively on the performance of this correctional department.

The sergeant also explained that police officers in general and sergeants in particular have a wide degree of job incentives such as health insurance for their family members. Also, one enjoys a relatively high level of security within their job positions in this particular Department. However the Sergeant was quick to add that one’s own security was the major issue within this line of work. He claimed that the hardest point for him was when a close associate was knifed twice in the stomach when trying to capture a suspect that had tried evading this respective officer. Sgt Campbell had a hard time recovering from that sight because he was there when the events unfolded. At the back of his mind, he knew that the same thing could happen to him as well. However, he claims that no such thing has happened in subsequent periods. (Kelly and West Attorneys, 2009)

The sergeant also explained that pressure levels in such a line of duty were extremely high. He asserted that one had to be on their toes most of the time because one could never be sure when or where their services were required. In fact, he claimed that the most important quality within his line of work was having multitasking abilities. One had to be able to respond to another call from their associates, supervise other individuals while at the same time review performance records and job ratings.

Conclusion
Sergeant Campbell’s interview provided a deep insight into the life of a police officer (as he was one before promotion) and also some details about the life of a Sergeant. It was found that these positions are quite demanding and one had to possess immense levels of dedication and passion to thrive in any criminal justice field.

References

Kelly and West Attorneys (2009): New Highway Patrol First Sergeant; Record Publishing Company
Department of Corrections (2009): Home Page, retrieved form http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos156.htm accessed on 23rd Jan 2008

Appendix: Interview questions
What education and previous experience were required for the job
What was the training like?
What are the expectations for a new officer?
What should you not do or do as an officer?
What makes a good officer and what makes a bad one?
What are some of the career advancement opportunities within the DOC?
What are the most challenging issue in the DOC?
What kind of benefits do you get?
What sort of security and safety do you expect?
What is your favorite part of the job?
What amount of stress levels are you subjected to?

The author of this article is a holder of Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard University and currently pursing PhD Program. He is also a professional academic writer. ResearchPapers247.Com>