Criminal Justice Personal Statement

My desire for a career in law enforcement started while pursuing my undergraduate degree at the University of Central Florida. As a freshman biology major with hopes of becoming a Radiologist, it did not take me long to realize the medical field was not for me. Peers in my classes had a passion and interest for the material that I did not possess. My grades poorly reflected the type of student I was. Realizing it was time for a change, at the end of my sophomore year I started seeking guidance. Unbeknownst to me, my disinterest in the curriculum was a major contribution to my poor performance. I completed career assessments and sat with academic counselors in several different areas of study. I was feeling more confused than ever because Criminal Justice courses often sparked my interest, but I hesitated due to the dangerous nature of police work.

The criminal justice field has careers that provide an individual with great rewards and significant opportunities to an extent that the profession is considered as one with the bright spots in employment. Even though education in this field has had a checkered history and past, it probably has a bright future because of the increased quest for quality in criminal justice education. In the past few years, the criminal justice field has been characterized with an agenda that seeks to ensure quality while significantly extending the scope and dept of education in this profession. Consequently, few people would disagree with the fact that solid education has become an important facet of any career in this field just like other professions. However, the importance of college education and the extent of needed schooling are huge concerns for people considering criminal justice careers.

Careers based around criminology play an essential part in everyday society, both protecting and stabilising communities and all who reside in them, and over the past few years it has become apparent to me that this is a subject I find both intriguing and compelling. My interest in the subject first developed in late childhood when I became fascinated with programmes such as Scott and Bailey, which look at crime prevention and the effect crime has on society. After spending a week of work experience with the MOD police based at DSTL at Porton Down, my passion for working within this field developed further, leading to a desire to understand why criminals act the way they do. This is ultimately what has led me to apply for the Criminology course. My A levels have helped me to develop my essay writing and analytical ability, focusing on investigating theories and texts and drawing my own conclusions from them.

Last year I was belligerent on what my purpose was, and what major to study. I continued to take classes to try and determine what to study but still was not definite on what I wanted to do. There was a career counselor that I met with to assist me in knowing my strengths weaknesses as well as my interest. I then took a career test where it was revealed that my strengths was helping others and a being amongst others. I always knew that I loved assisting others and eventually in my life I wanted to somehow work with individuals who suffer from substance abuse. I desire to obtain both a bachelor in criminal justice and social work. In my heart I know that I can help people with both majors, by assisting people through law enforcement as well

y work and personal experiences have influenced my decision to go back to college and my degree choice greatly. I would like to attain my degree in Criminal Justice to further my goals in the career I have already begun. Having over 8 years of experience in the youth correctional field, I am confident in my decision to further my education in criminal justice. I started working for the Division of Youth Corrections (DYC) in 2007 as an Administrative Assistant and through training and dedication to the victims I served, became a Certified Victim Advocate through the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance. Part of my responsibilities included assisting victims through the critical stages of the adjudication process. I attended court hearings,

Obama once said, “ we need to keep making our streets safer and our criminal justice farrier- our homeland more secure, our world more peaceful and sustainable for the next generation.” The world needs people that are willing to make it a safe environment to make sure to try and stop all the crimes out in the streets and the drugs being influenced out their. A Criminal justice career can have many advantages, even though it has its disadvantages, its problem trying to join in.

The purpose and intention of the research is to determine whether having a criminal justice degree benefit those that graduate within that field. In addition, future criminal justice graduates will have a sense of where their career path will lead to. Experts also examine if having a criminal justice degree is necessary for individuals to become police officers, correctional officers, or probation and parole officers. This research was published by the International journal of Criminal Justice Sciences in December of 2013. The authors thesis is that the individual perceptions of criminal justice and criminology majors are important because the data reveal can and will assist and better

Criminal justice as a “man’s field” is evolving, presenting high-paying, flexible career opportunities for women. For example, Condoleezza Rice is the first black woman to serve as the United States' national security adviser, as well as the first black

“You have two hands, one to help yourself, the second to help others.” (Audrey Hepburn) Ever since I was young I have felt the need to help others and do my part. That is why I chose to pursue the criminal defense field. Even though it will be a long process of paper work, court appearances, heartaches and headaches, after it all I will have the pleasure of knowing I was able to make a difference in somebody else’s life. Although the hours can be intimidating, being a criminal defense attorney will provide a steady income to raise a family on and would allow me to pursue my passion of helping the less fortunate.

I once believed the police and fire departments, court, correction, and social services to be independent entities that provided communities with individual services that sometimes complimented one another by the basic interchanging of information and services. Through this module, I have learned these entities are a very complex and although independent rely on inter-connectivity and communication comprise the criminal justice system. These entities share a common goal to uphold the law and maintain justice in our society (Silver, S. 2011. CJ in the USA an introduction to Criminal Justice. (1st ed., p. 1). The criminal justice system is divided into four major pillars. Within the pillars many divers jobs and skill sets come together to achieve this goal (Johnson, K. (2010). Jobs in criminal justice. Oceanside: Channel Custom Publishing, Oceanside,CA. Available from http://ct2learn.com/els/index.php/member-home/cj/imods/jobs-cj/imod/).

To work in the field of criminal justice, whether with rehabilitating offenders or in research analysis, has always been a goal of mine stemming from the beginning of my undergraduate studies at Lakeland University. It is in the Reentry Unit of the Department of Corrections, that there is the emphasis to work with offenders in order to reduce recidivism with the focus of providing support in educational programming, skill building, and goal planning to prepare offenders for community reintegration. Overall, the Reentry Unit of correctional system is an integral portion that provides a pathway for offenders to reintegrate.

I feel that a career in one of the armed forces would also get me ready for my FBI career, and other things later. I would like to achieve a rank of Lieutenant in the Navy after coming out of Annapolis. I will then work on my career there and then pay of as much debt as I can, if I have any. I will then continue my service as long is it is required in the navy or go on until I feel accomplished. After I have completed my service in the Navy, I will then go on towards a degree in Criminal Justice. As a required aspect of being an agent, you have to have a degree in Criminal Justice. I will probably work on this at a university in Virginia or anywhere available. After getting the degree, I will head straight for

The probation service also offers information and support to victims of sexual or violent incidents.

With graduation drawing near I am excited and ready to put my Agricultural Science degree to use in an industry that I am extremely passionate about. Throughout my time at Cal Poly, I have been working for the San Luis Obispo Police Department as a Student Neighborhood Assistant Program Officer. Before I began working at San Luis Obispo Police Department I had always planned on a career in law enforcement, but with graduation quickly approaching I am not certain that is the career path I am meant to take especially with the public's perspective of peace officers today. I can say that during my time with the San Luis Obispo Police Department, I have gained an immense amount of skills through first hand experiences such as organization, leadership,

Growing up is exciting and very scary. Being young is fun while it last but eventually everyone has to grow and go in to the working field. Law enforcement has been a big topic whether it be bad or good things said the law enforcement is always brought up. When I was young I took a fast interest in business. The moment I decided I wanted to be a cop was when I met my dad’s best friend that was a cop, and businessman. All any person wants in a career is to make a decent living and do something that they enjoy doing. I’ve always enjoyed helping people that needed help, the Kansas career pipeline let me take some surveys and showed me that I enjoy helping people more than I enjoy building myself something, which I believe that is true.